#|| this game is offering me muse ideas xD

[rosmcrinus]

Millicent deserves better. Me like... what if she and Malenia bond ;;

[kessielrg]

[Super Danganronpa 2] Pixel Perfect: Chapter 5

Chiaki is given a one-up.

Or, in which Izuru wonders if letting her die would have been more merciful than this.

And Hajime can’t stop apologizing.

Summary: In which Chiaki experiences chronic pain, and Hajime has to watch.

Notes: The last chapter for now! If I continue the idea it will be in oneshots. Thank you for all the love ya'll gave this fic while I was writing! This chapter is inspired by Florence + the Machine's song, The Bomb. Even with the lyrics, it's a calming song. It's a song for Chiaki (with Hajime, maybe) now. xD Thank you for reading!

(PS: if you're a fan of Mega Man X and/or want to see how I'd tackle a killing game, please check out 2 Die 4 You. Thanks!)

Rating: K+

AO3 link: here

-

Hajime did not know when he became the one to bring Chiaki to her rehab sessions, but here he was. He knocked on her door with care, waiting for a moment before finally going in. It took him a moment to realize that Chiaki was still a lump laying on her bed. That was... not usual.

“Hey Chiaki, how’s it going?” Hajime asked, just so she knew he was there.

“I hurt, Hajime. I very much hurt.” Chiaki informed him, not moving very far from where she was- just moving the blanket away from her face so he knew that she was awake.

“Well, it's a good thing you're going to therapy.” Hajime lightly joked as he moved to her bedside.

But Chiaki shook her head.

“Not today. I can't even move.”

This also wasn't normal for Chiaki. She never put up resistance before when it was time to go. Could she really not move?

“At least try.” Hajime offered, carefully uncovering some of her blankets off of her to make it easy. Chiaki's upper body shivered from the shift in temperature. She looked up at Hajime with sad, pained eyes.

“You can’t make me get up.” she warned him.

“But you have to.” he reminded her. “Nekomaru is waiting for us.”

Chiaki shook her head. She wasn't going to move- either voluntarily or genuinely was something Hajime was about to find out.

“Come on,” he coaxed, getting close enough to put a hand behind her back, “I know you can do it. You just need to try and-”

“No! Leave me alone!” Chiaki suddenly shouted. She used her whole weight to force Hajme's hand off her back- even attempting to bite it as it crossed her face. Hajime had to jump back in surprise. Izuru wasn't.

Chiaki reached for her blankets, trying to use them to cover up again, but found that she couldn't quite reach without moving her legs. She let out a frustrated shout before covering her head with her pillow instead.

After that display, Chiaki started to cry. Hajime didn’t know what to do. His hand moved upward in order to stroke her head, but instead it hovered just inches away in conflict. There they stayed as Chiaki let out her physical pain in tears.

Slowly, Chiaki's crying became small hiccups as she calmed herself down again. No matter how much pain she was in, she could still try to hold it together. It was just Hajime with her -that wasn't so bad- but what if someone was outside the door?

“You... you said both Hajime and Izuru exist in your body, right?” Chiaki quietly mused. “Well... I want to talk to Hajime.”

“That’s not how-”

“Please?”

The request was far too innocent to ignore. Never minding the fact that Chiaki was crying her eyes out not moments before. Whatever she needed to feel at ease again, they were willing to do it. For her.

Hajime reached over and placed his hand over hers.

“I’m here.” he promised.

Chiaki's whole body relaxed. She removed the pillow from her head, looking at him with red, tired eyes.

“I’m scared.”

Hajime's hand held hers tighter. He didn't speak, though. He knew that Chiaki had to simply let it out.

“I’m trying so hard, for everyone, and I- I don’t know if I can.” she admitted. “I'm in so much pain every time we do a workout. Swimming isn't so bad, if anything I think I prefer it more, but all those other exercises Nekomaru has me do? They make me want to die. They made me wish I did die, just so I wouldn't have to do them. So I... so I could have feeling in my legs again. You know? It's terrible, but...”

She trailed off, not sure where else to go with the line of thought. Hajime did not move. Both parts of him agreed that doing so was not what she needed right now.

Chiaki looked at Hajime. Her gaze in particular falling upon his singular red eye. In honesty, it sent a shiver down her spine. She could remember that eye staring down at her when Junko killed her. He wasn't going to offer mercy at the time. She wasn't even sure if he knew what mercy was in that moment.

“Why did he save me?”

“…Do you really want to know?”

Chiaki went silent as she truly considered it.

“Yes.” she decided. “I want to know why Izuru saved me then.”

It was that moment that finally made Hajime move his hand away from Chiaki's. He stepped a bit away from her bed- an act that definitely caught Chiaki's attention.

“It wasn’t Izuru who saved you. He set up the Lazarus container, but he didn’t make the choice.”

“It wasn't...?”

Izuru shook his head.

“Hajime Hinata was lost. He didn’t exist in the same body as Izuru at the time- and yet…”

“He wanted to save me.”

“Yes. He did.”

Chiaki looked down, processing the information. When she looked back up, she was smiling.

“Thank you.”

Hajime could not hide the blush that followed.

“I'm still not getting up, though.” Chiaki then said, her smile still persistent and somewhat joking.

Hajime let out a snort.

“I think you deserve not to.” he said. “In fact... I'll be back.”

Chiaki raised an eyebrow. Hajime gave her a smile before leaving her room.

He came back not long after with a bag in his hands. Chiaki winched as she forced herself to sit up, curious about what could have been in the bag. That was enough progress in the morning that he should have pressed her to try therapy again, but Hajime was already on a different mission now. He sat next to Chiaki on her bed before digging through the bag. After a moment or two, he pulled out a familiar pink handheld console.

“How’s your trigger finger?” he cheekily asked.

Chiaki’s whole face lit up. All pain was temporarily forgotten as she reached for the console. Hajime handed it over without issue. It was seconds between Chiaki receiving the console, turning it on, and letting everything boot up before starting a new game. The sounds of clicking directional buttons filled the room as Chiaki entered her element after so long. Hajime watched on with pride on his face. This was another reaction that Izuru knew would happen. You can take a person away from their talent, but the talent never leaves the person.

Chiaki only beat 10 levels before putting the console down. It shocked Hajime that she even pushed it away from her, allowing the game to go into a fail state instead of putting it on pause. Less of a shock was her laying back down on her bed again. Chronic pain was chronic for a reason. Chiaki tried to find a good spot to relax in before closing her eyes

“Hajime, thank you.” she said with a light sigh. “For everything.”

Hajime tilted his head.

“Everything?” he asked. With Izuru’s cadence he added, “You mentioned that you still wanted to die. Has that changed?”

Chiaki nodded.

“Maybe I still do, but I know I’ve got you and the others. I’m not alone.” She shot him a genuine smile. “We just got to remind Nekomaru that I’m not coming today.”

“Yeah,” Hajime snorted. “We should probably do that before he gets worried.”

With that, the two friends laughed.

[dvotdovetre]

✔ { holds up hideki/@worldatourfeat }

plotting guide

My muse(s):

A servant that should not exist, a error in the system.

Do I know your muse(s):  yes | no | a little | tell me about your muse

I've read about your boy but i always love hearing about other peoples muses, i think it be fun to plot something more like for instance maybe aoibhe hints at using loopholes, I can see aoibhe growin to genuinly care about hideki's plight to protect his sister.

Setting: our verse | my verse | your verse | modern | alternate universe | other

Aoibhe is a versatile muse and i think it would be fun to play with the fate moon cell story. Sakura in the game is an "Npc" and i wanted to leave Aoi's role vague due to not messing to much with the story outside of plots.

But I can see aoibhe offering her help as much as she can while still being neutral if hideki choses to befriend / make a bond with her.

Pre-established relationships? yes | no | depends on the relationship

I'm a shipping whore i don't mind what happens as long as your willing to yell with me about them XD

Possible relationships: friends | classmate | co-worker | roommate | family, real or adopted | dating or blind date | married | friends with benefits | unrequited love | lending a hand | teacher - student | rivals | allies | partner-in-crime | enemies | protecter - guarded | business partners | spy - infiltrated | manipulator - manipulated | star-crossed | first meeting | other 

I can see aoibhe getting after your boy if he does stupid shit, as a nurse / apothecary she will make him rest be warned.

I’m in the mood for: fluff | angst | horror | romance | humor | crime | hurt / comfort | action | supernatural | slice of life | crack | dark threads | light threads | any genre | multi-para | shorter para | one-line | any length | plotted threads | unplotted threads | other

I say this with my whole chest , give me all your ideas, i'll take em all.

Feel free to: message me ooc | message me ic | tell me your ideas | write a starter | answer one of my opens | send a meme | reblog this with your preferences - let’s find common interests!

as i said before come yell at me XD

My muse(s):

A time traveling dragon

Do I know your muse(s):  yes | no | a little | tell me about your muse

again tell me about your muse ! Let me fall in love with them !

Setting: our verse | my verse | your verse | modern | alternate universe | other

I mean we can play with the idea of a time traveler in a grail war, maybe they meet in a future he's happy and she's doing her best to not spoil anything. Time loops are a thing so maybe she has to do something small or noticeable to make time go the way it should -

Pre-established relationships? yes | no | depends on the relationship

I'm open for anything ngl.

Possible relationships: friends | classmate | co-worker | roommate | family, real or adopted | dating or blind date | married | friends with benefits | unrequited love | lending a hand | teacher - student | rivals | allies | partner-in-crime | enemies | protecter - guarded | business partners | spy - infiltrated | manipulator - manipulated | star-crossed | first meeting | other 

Once again, give me all your ideas XD

I’m in the mood for: fluff | angst | horror | romance | humor | crime | hurt / comfort | action | supernatural | slice of life | crack | dark threads | light threads | any genre | multi-para | shorter para | one-line | any length | plotted threads | unplotted threads | other

Gib the muses

Feel free to: message me ooc | message me ic | tell me your ideas | write a starter | answer one of my opens | send a meme | reblog this with your preferences - let’s find common interests!

Again , come yell at me

[thuganomxcs]

royal fantasy meme / closed / @acoldsovereign

(my paramour): receiver becomes sender’s mistress + (the bane of my existence): our muses never got along and yet, they harbor feelings for one another after a heated argument {{ We love them AUs up in here. Go ahead and cook, homie. Do your worst!! (You can also have it as Maiz jokingly offering to be his mistress if that's funnier or easier) XD

“You want t’ WHAT?!” It was such an odd thing left field, his late ancestral father the yokai king of Thunder Raizen had already betrothed him towards another yokai that would surely amass an army that would aid him in the coming war between the factions. Unfortunately, after Enki’s reign enough OLD demons had band together and brought back the old ways which brought demon world to its state. Which is why it was important for Yusuke to go on with this marriage that Raizen had pre-emptively planned before his passing.

Either way now comes Maiz with this STUPID idea, just because he’s going to be a king doesn’t mean he could not have a mistress as it was rather commonplace for royalty. ONE THING, he never even considered marrying this yokai woman so why would he agree to this idea of hers to make her his concubine of all things? Statistically speaking Maiz was probably ‘fuller’ than any other yokai in Makai soo seeing this in an adventurous lens things could be fun.

UGH NO, he shook his head. YES he would definitely give her pipe in any given situation BUT this one. Now it just felt like he was playing into the hands of the royalty game, the circumstances of his birth SHOULD not be the only factor that would make him a qualified king..fuck it but it looks like in order to learn about himself and his heritage he MIGHT just have t ostick in Makai and just roll with the punches..how else was he going to get stronger and one day beat his father to a pulp? “AGHHH, why’d you have t’ come up with such a stupid idea anyway?! IF YOU WANT T’ FUCK ME SO BAD YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST DID IT BEFORE I GOT MIXED UP IN THIS BULLSHIT.

[bruhstories]

Baby, I’ve Already got Your Heart

Summary: An accidental meeting between Armin and Y/N leads to an unhealthy obsession. Pairing: Armin Arlert x Fem!Reader (modern AU) Warnings: stalking, language, unprotected sex, loss of virginity, fingering, oral sex (male receiving), oral sex (female receiving), switch!Reader, switch!Armin, rope is involved. Word Count: 2.5 k

A/N: This fic is heavily inspired by this song. It is surprisingly wholesome, considering the tags xD

Armin Arlert. The purest man in the world. You accidentally met him one cold, rainy day when he entered your coffee shop for shelter and warmth. He naively talked to you, grateful for how nice you were with him, grateful for the cappuccino on the house, grateful for the towel you offered him to dry himself off. Little did Armin know, a fixation sprouted in your mind and heart, developing into the unhealthiest obsession. He was just so cute — and you just had to have him. It helped to know that you were both going to the same university, and after that, you knew everything about him: his Facebook, Instagram, email address, hell, you even knew his real address. To be fair, it was a piece of cake, the boy was absolutely clueless and whenever he 'accidentally' met you, he thought it was by pure chance. The next and most obvious step was to befriend people in his social circle, one Jean Kirstein, one Sasha Braus and one Connie Springer. Naturally, you did your homework, and you knew his best friends were Eren Jaeger and Mikasa Ackerman, but they weren't easy targets. Besides, it would jeopardise your entire plan, as you found Armin was considered a genius. An oblivious genius. He didn't know it yet, but you loved him and he loved you too, right?

A text from Sasha, months after you first met the angelic man, set your plan in motion. A casual gaming night at Armin's place, and you were invited. How perfect. Poor glutton Sasha had no fucking clue how much you were using her, how you told her you want to meet a cute guy, someone nice and caring, someone smart and attentive. The girl put two and two together and decided she just had to introduce you to one of her friends, especially that he was also interested in meeting a girl like you. Unbelievable — you acted surprised, met up with Sasha and left for Armin's little gaming night. You wouldn't let this opportunity go to waste. Starting from tonight, he'd be yours. Forever.

"Armiiiiiiiiin, I brought a plus one!" Sasha barged into his house. "This is my friend, Y/N. Y/N, Armin! Oh shit, pretzels!" The brown-haired woman left the two of you in the hallway and the blond flashed you a smile.

"I feel like I've seen you before." He mused as he closed the door behind you.

"If you ever drink coffee at Rose's you might've seen me there." You smiled and removed your leather jacket, revealing a Pearl Jam t-shirt.

"No way you listen to them!" Armin blurted.

"Are you kidding me? They're my favourite!" You lied through your teeth with a sickly-sweet smile.

"Mine too! Oh, I know, you're the girl who gave me a free cappuccino months ago!"

"I remember! You were drenched in rainwater." You laughed as the two of you entered the living room. "I had to mop up the puddles you left behind."

"I'm so sorry about that..." He blushed. Your heart fluttered and you couldn't wait to get your hands on him, but for the time being, you needed to behave.

"No worries, I just hope you didn't catch a cold." You assured Armin and sympathetically placed a hand on his shoulder. There he goes, blushing again. It couldn't be... was he a virgin? Fuck. This was better than you could've imagined.

"Who's this?"

"Oh, Mikasa, Eren, this is Y/N. She's friends with Sasha."

"Nice to meet you!" Eren shook your hand. "Oh, God, you listen to Pearl Jam, too? You nerds are going to get along just fine." He joked.

The night went great, and you actually had fun with Armin and his friends, despite not intending to mingle with them too much. People started leaving around 2 am, but Eren and Mikasa stayed longer. Too fucking long — and things were boring now anyway. You and Armin kept talking about video games and books, Mikasa fell asleep on Eren who was playing fucking Farmville on his phone. They had to leave as soon as possible.

"Hey, Y/N, we can take you home." Eren suggested and you froze. Shit.

"Didn't you say you're almost out of gas?" Armin questioned his friend.

"Ah, fuck, you're right. I still don't know how that happened — I fuelled the tank yesterday!" The brunette scoffed. "Guess you're on your own, Y/N."

"It's alright, I'll take an uber." You politely smiled.

"Alright, we'll wait for you."

Oh, for fuck's sake. Truth be told, you appreciated how nice and caring Armin's friends were, but you had a different goal to accomplish.

"You really don't have to, plus I have to use the bathroom." You excused yourself. "Um, where is the bathroom exactly?"

"Upstairs, first door on the right." Armin told you while gathering plates and cups from the table. You nodded and climbed up the stairs. Your hand hovered over the bathroom doorknob for a good minute, eyes drifting to the door next to it. Armin's bedroom, by the looks of it. Surely, you could take a look, right? Fuck it. You opened the second door and at first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. LED and fairy lights encircled a corner of his room and, curiously, you walked closer to see what that was, because it didn't look like a desk. Your Y/E/C widened when you saw tens of framed photographs of yourself on the square table, objects you thought you lost and — Jesus, was that your bra? A rush of anxiety hit you, but before you could do anything, a blow to your head blurred your vision.

•��☆°•☆•°☆°•

Dark lashes fluttered as you opened your eyes. The sudden realisation that you were naked and restrained to a bed made you jolt. What just happened?

"Fucking finally, I thought you'd never wake up." Armin greeted you, but his voice was different, deeper and darker.

"Ar-ugh, Armin?" You groaned at the stinging sensation at the back of your head.

"You know, I was relieved you didn't leave with Sasha, otherwise you would've slipped between my fingers again."

Again?

"Ugh, and Eren and his stupid idea. 'We'll take you home.'" He mocked his best friend with a high pitch. "I've been dreaming for this moment since I walked into that shitty coffee shop."

You were at a loss for words. This was not the Armin you fantasised about, not the Armin you wanted. He was much more and much worse. And. So. Much. Better.

Alright then, you'd put up a show for him.

"P-please, Armin, please untie m-me! I'll be good, I p-promise!" You stuttered and whimpered, trying your best to sound genuine.

"Why, so you can run away?" The blond scoffed. So, he didn't know you stalked him. What a twist.

"I won't r-run, I swear!"

"Bullshit." Armin bent over your body, hands around your neck. You gasped and pretended to be startled by his touch, but in reality, your core was already burning with lust. You knew you couldn't keep up with this charade. "No, Y/N, I won't untie you. But we'll have so much fun." He sneered.

"You promise?"

"Yes. Wait—"

Your laughter filled the bedroom, genuine laughter that baffled Armin. Was this some sort of reverse psychology trick?

"Oh, Armin, even when you reveal your true colours, you're still oblivious to the reality of what's in front of you."

"Then enlighten me, what am I so oblivious to?" He folded his arms across his chest and waited.

"The fact that this was my fucking plan, too." You stretched as much as your restraints allowed you to and licked your lips. "I guess we both stalked each other without even knowing. How ridiculous."

"I think I would've known if you stalked me, Y/N."

"Really? Let me prove it, then. Your favourite food's Carbonara pasta, your favourite drink is peach and lychee iced tea, favourite movie is Interstellar, you lived on Sheena street until you were 12–"

"That's common knowledge, Sasha could've told you any of that." Armin blurted, growing impatient.

"You watch BDSM and asphyxiation porn between 10 pm and 11 pm every Tuesday, you're a virgin, you own a fleshlight–"

"Fuck, alright!" He threw his hands in the air, defeated. "So, what next?"

"You untie me and you tear me apart, Armin, that's what's next."

The blond hesitated before removing the cuffs on your ankles, still unsure about the ropes around your wrists. Clearly, you weren't making things up, but what were the chances of both of you stalking each other? For a brief moment, Armin felt guilty for hitting you and practically holding you captive, and you could see that on his face, but obsession and desire soon took over, and he reverted back to his darker self. His soft hands moved from your ankles to your knees, up your thighs and stomach, stopping above your chest, deciding it's best if you're not fully free. Armin licked his lips and climbed on top of you, unbuttoning his flannel shirt. You thought was surprisingly strong for such a thin man, but when the unbuttoned shirt revealed his chiselled abdomen, it made sense why he was strong.

"The wrists, Armin." You insisted but the blond clicked his tongue.

"I like you better when you're helpless." He pressed his lips onto yours in a hot kiss. A great kiss, you thought, your tongues wrestling for supremacy.

"Please, I want to touch you! I need to..." You trailed off, intoxicated by his smell, notes of saffron and cardamom. His hands roamed your shoulders, tickling your axilla and groping your breasts. "Please let me touch you, Armin!" You begged again, but he didn't say a word, his hot breath fanning over your oversensitive nipples, goosebumps all over your skin. His pink tongue poked out of his mouth and you watched him painstakingly slowly lick one of your nipples. It literally pained you to be unable to touch him, pull him closer to you. Alas, you had no choice, and despite yearning to be in control, it aroused you to have him control you.

"You smell so sweet." He abruptly stopped. "I bet you taste sweet, too."

"Armin..." His words made you brace yourself. While you weren't a virgin, you've never had anyone eat you out. The blond was already in between your legs, one hand resting under your thigh, the other gently touching your slick folds. Armin was so careful, like you were made of glass, and the ticklish sensation didn't help you at all. You wanted him to ram his cock inside of you and rearrange your guts, but he wanted to take his sweet time. The teasing only made you dizzy with pleasure, and you bucked your hips, trying to get him to move faster.

"You really need to learn to be patient, Y/N." Armin purred, pressing gentle kisses on your thighs. He lazily dragged his tongue across your slit, electricity shooting through your body. God, how you wanted to rip those ropes apart. Two fingers entered you and the blond gingerly licked your clit.  

"Fuck– so... so good ah–" You couldn't form a sentence even if your life counted on it. Gradually, you could feel your orgasm building up and Armin sensed it, picking up the pace. His fingers thrusted harder and you arched your back, the intensity too much for you. "Armin, please! I wanna come with your cock in me!" The begging didn't stop him, he was determined to make you finish then and there. And he did — within seconds you melted under his touch, legs trembling with pleasure. Armin pulled back, his mouth messy with saliva mixed with your juices.

"You come when I want you to come." His voice was low, almost like a growl. He unbuttoned his jeans, and you watched him like a hawk, waiting to see just how big his was, and you were not disappointed.

"Please please please let me suck it, please!" You begged him, eager to taste him. He smirked and kissed you, all the while rubbing his cock.

"You want this?" Armin quirked a brow at you. The little shit, jacking off in front of you and you couldn't even do anything about it.

"Armin..."

"Say it. Say you want it."

"Armin!"

"Say it, Y/N." He groaned, precum leaking from his member. Fuck.

"I... I want it..." You eventually gave up.

"Good girl." The blond climbed back on top of you. He raised your hips and you placed your legs on his shoulder, his first thrust slow and deep. Armin couldn't help the moan escaping his lips — this was so much better than that shitty fleshlight and countless porn videos. You couldn't deny the fact that it hurt, despite your soaking cunt, but you quickly adjusted to his size. As Armin pounded you, the bed underneath the two of you started moving and screeching, and the ropes tied to the metal bedframe loosened and you felt your arms fall onto the pillows. In his frenzy, the blond didn't notice, so you took this opportunity to lower your legs and wrap them around his waist, one hand grabbing his soft locks, the other wrapping around his neck. You used his weight against him and turned him over. You were in control.

Armin was taken aback by this, but the feeling of your fingers squeezing his throat only turned him on more. You bounced up and down, throwing your head back and groaning. He gripped your hips tightly, thrusting his own hips against yours.

"F-fuck me harder, Y/N!" He begged and you sped up. You felt like a queen — no, a goddess — when he asked you to fuck him, the feeling of him inside of you so addictive. He was your drug, and your rehab, your poison, and your antidote. And you were his and his only. His cock was twitching in your cunt and knew he was close but you didn't want to risk it. Swiftly, you got off of him and wrapped your lips around his dick, bobbing your head up and down. It didn't take long for him to finish, hot liquid shooting down your throat with one final grunt. You swallowed it all and threw yourself next to him. It was breaking dawn already, but you weren't tired. Physically, yes, both of you were exhausted, but mentally it felt like you discovered a hidden gem.

"What the fuck did we just do?" Armin calmly caressed your hair as you nuzzled his neck.

"Are we talking about the obsessively stalking each other part or the part where you hit me in the head? Or the fucking?"

"The everything." He explained. "This is wrong."

"Did it feel wrong?" You asked him, your fingers idly tracing circles over his chest.

"Well, no..."

"Then it's not wrong." You shrugged. "Am... am I yours?"

"Yes." The blond instantly replied without a trace of hesitation in his voice. "Am I?"

"You've been mine the moment you set foot in that shitty coffee shop." You laughed.

"And what are we going to tell the others?"

"That we ended up talking all night and I stayed over?"

"Sounds like a plan." Armin kissed your forehead.

"By the way, I really don't like Pearl Jam." You admitted.

He laughed and it filled your heart with warmth. You have no idea why you and Armin were like that, or how things would be from now on, but you had a good feeling about it. Things were okay. You two were okay.

[thewingedmuse]

Hmm, seeing the amount of butterflies on your blog, i wonder if you have prominent Pluto/ Lilith/ Jupiter in your chart. Cuz butterflies symbolise transformation, expansion and spirituality. And seems like you're drawn to them. Libra/ Pisces/sag/aqua placements? Because, blue (the theme of your blog) relates to those zodiacs. You want to be someone's muse? (assuming from your blog name) i really sense some Libra vibe here.

I shuffled a song for you: "the love you want" by sleep token.

If you want, i can interpret a dream of yours, cuz I'm don't do tarot. I just read charts, and interpret dreams, soo....

My question: what does my spirit want to tell me now?

Heyyyy. Thank you for the song and your generous offer!! His voice is so warm and full of hope although it's a sad song, it's like napping by the fireplace in a snowy day 💙 Is it okay if I ask to interpret my blog's chart? I have this idea to make the next game an exchange for the blog chart reading with readings from me 😁 I'll maybe post the game soon and if you'd like feel free to join 🌼🌼🌼

I do have a prominent Lilith :) and yes, the concept of being someone's muse has always been very dreamy to me. I wish to deliver what people need to hear, maybe a push towards the right direction or an inspiration, or support. That would be truly meaningful.

But without further ado let's hop to your reading!

☎️ the song that answered your call is ☎️

(oh boy oh boy... xD your guides do have quite a sense of humour. I mean I put the song in there because it's funny when it comes up but it still surprised me hehehe. Okay ahem *clears throat and puts on serious face*)

I see a petite figure with glassy green wings. They look to be fae. They have this youthful demeanor but don't let that fool you, they've been around for so long. They give me grandmother vibes, very wise. Their voice is soft and delicate. They wish to tell you to rest and to stop letting the same issues stress you out. Let your mind rest, and with that you will begin to see change in your life. It won't be immediate, but start with yourself.

[emerald-amidst-gold]

Writing Tag Game

Thank you so much for the tag @noire-pandora! <3

Time to show people just how much of a baby I am in the fanfic world~! >:3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

A total of ten! Mainly because I lump drabbles together for easy access!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

....273502 words so far. :3 I like words. Words are good. Words are friends. 

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Emerald Eyes Amidst Golden Vows (the very first rendition!) - 48 kudos

Emerald Eyes Amidst Golden Vows - Bound Brighter - 24 kudos

A Dragon’s Hope - 15 kudos

Dragon Drabbles - 13 kudos

Poetry of Wolves - 11 kudos

(Honestly, the progression of style change in each of these fics is terrifying to me. I look back on the last one, and I’m like, ‘Oh my god.’ X’D) 

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, on occasion, respond! Though I may use a lot of words while writing, when it comes to communication? I suck. XD But, I do get extremely, extremely excited whenever I see a comment in my inbox, and I do go back and re-read them when I’m feeling down about my writing! I usually respond when a person asks questions, but I try to read them as rhetoric since I don’t want to spoil too much! X3 So, to everyone who has left me comments on my fics: THANK YOU. I do really appreciate and adore them. :3

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Many of my short fics (those ranging from one to two chapters) all end relatively happy. I like angst, but I also enjoy making characters that are usually somber and stressed a little lighter. :3 If we want to get technical, then the first several chapters of my main fic all have rather angsty endings because the beginning of Fane’s journey is...heh. It’s not easy, and it’s not supposed to be. 

Although, now that I look, a very old fic of mine called ‘A Dragon’s Guilt’ has a rather angsty ending. Basically, Solas’ frescoes in the rotunda send Fane into a momentary spiral, and it was me playing with Adamant possibilities before he was ‘set in stone’. Panic attacks and mixed memories galore! :D

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

*rifes through my fics* Uhhhh... All of them? :3 Okay, okay! No, if I had to choose it would have to be...one of the short stories in ‘Dragon Drabbles’. It’s a four part story (and my first hand at smut >:3) that’s titled ‘Existence is Not a Sin’. It starts off angsty, but by the end it’s so sweet, so sickeningly sweet that I’m like, “...How did I write this?” X’D ...I’m actually thinking of re-writing a lot of my previous fics just to see if I’ve improved with writing! :D

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I do not write crossovers, but I’m open to the idea! Sadly, my brain hyperfixates on one thing at time, so my imagination is limited. X’D

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I haven’t, and I’m very grateful that I haven’t. To be honest, when I started writing and posting, I expected to get hate (prepare for the worst, you know?) because I was doing something that wasn’t really the ‘norm’ for a lot of people. After all, people are entitled to their own interpretations and mine some times don’t link up with someone else’s. I understand that, and I respect that, but some people...don’t offer the same courtesy. All I’ll say is, if you don’t enjoy my content, don’t read it. We’re all adults, so shrug your shoulders, say, “Not for me”, and move on. Just know that if you do leave a hate comment, you will receive no reply, no fuel. So, don’t waste your time and don’t waste mine. Simple as that. I’m here to share and make people smile, not argue. :3

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I have. Once, and I for the life of me can’t figure out how to do it again. X’D I’m very into soft intimacy; gestures and actions that speak a thousand words. Close positions (missionary, straddling, etc.) and a lot of eye contact with some healthy crying in the mix. *winks* I’m kind of inching towards a theme of ‘body worship’ when it comes to Fane and Solas because those two.. *sighs* They really need to shown that they are beautiful people; inside and out.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I have not. Thank God. XD All I’ll say is this though, you steal my fic, my son and claim them as your own? *gets close to the screen* I will track you down and demand a talk. Don’t steal other’s hard work. Don’t. Writing is not easy, and it takes weeks, months, years for authors to pump out their inspiration, so don’t steal that labor just because you want to say you could. Same goes for drawings and pieces of art. Don’t.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I haven’t! English is my first language, but I understand some French! :D 

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven’t, but the idea is intriguing to me sometimes! I’m just a tad unreliable due to how my mood ebbs and flows. I have very long dry spells. X’D

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Solavellan! >:D While I write solely M!Lavellan/Solas, I do support all genders and orientations for the ship! Because I didn’t get into the ship because of what I saw, it’s what it meant to me. 

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

*side eyes my main fic* LISTEN. It’s coming! I swear. I’m just having intense writer’s block with my main fic, and I’m not sure why. That’s why I’ve been messing with prompts and drabbles. X’D There’s also my modernAU, too.. *sweats* TIIIIIME! WHERE ARE YOU?!

What are your writing strengths?

Describing emotions. I like emotions. Emotions are nice. :3

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. Mainly because Fane...doesn’t speak much at the beginning of his journey. He’s very curt, short, so I have hard time incorporating other’s reactions to him. I’m getting better though, I think! :D

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I’m for it! Sometimes that little splash of altering dialect can draw someone in and establish a connection! Language connects us, and it’s never too late to try and learn so as to reach out to another! :D

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Dragon Age, my beloved~ 

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

A short story of mine called ‘Blood in the Snow’. It was one of my very first fics and it was the first time I was like, ‘This Lavellan is my muse. I can do so much with him.’ It was just so fun to write a vulnerable moment for Fane, but still keep him locked up. ...It was also where I went, ‘Oh. This is Solavellan Hell. I wasn’t meant to go there, but I DID.’ X’D

Tagging: @oxygenforthewicked @little-lightning-lavellan @dreadfutures @the-dreadful-canine @rosella-writes @aymayzing @drag-on-age @varric-tethras-editor and anyone else that’d like to play! (no pressure, of course! <3)

[iwrestlenow]

Many More To Die - Chapter 4

TITLE: Many More To Die (Chapter 4)

FANDOM: Sanders Sides (Necromancer AU)

SUMMARY: Roman discovers that even the power of a king has its limits--but at least he has the power to help Logan in one critical fashion.

Logan is a needy wreck, and can't figure out which way is up, and as desperately as he needs someone--one man--to hold his hand through it all? It only makes things worse somehow.

Meanwhile, through all of this, another chess piece steps out of the shadows and onto the game board--and he's not going anywhere until he gets what, and who, he came for.

SHIPS: Logince (Logan/Roman), future Moceit (Patton/Janus) and Dukexiety (Remus/Virgil)

WARNINGS: Panic attack, but that’s it for this chapter. It’s mostly me having feelings, being TOTALLY UNABLE TO STOP WRITING WHAT THE HELL SOMEONE SAVE ME XD, and more self indulgent garbage that just felt good to write. So there. :P

Also, no betas, we die like men.

NOTES: This is based on the gorgeous piece of art by @gretacticdraws that can be found here. I ended up writing a ficlet for it, and then my brain got swallowed up. Breathe at me wrong, and I’ll write more…hell, who am I kidding? I’ll write more anyway because this? Is self indulgent drivel. XD

Also located at AO3 over here.

“Lord Janus? I want this man dead.”

“Certainly, Your Majesty.”

“Please—mercy, Your Majesty!”

“Now hang on there just a gosh darn, berry pickin', mother lovin' moment, buster! Janny, if you know what's good for you, you will just stop with this nonsense and put the flippin' sword down!”

Roman would have burst out laughing if he wasn't fighting so hard to keep his composure. It could hardly be helped—Patton came up to Logan's shoulder, but only just, and was standing in his cell with his hands on his hips, glaring at the captain of the royal guard like he was a child being scolded for a broken dish.

Janus hardly looked intimidated—but the fact that he stilled after drawing his sword, leaving a terrified guard trembling against the bars of the cell next to Logan's was telling. Seven years, Lord Janus had served as the head of the assassins' corps before retiring to become the captain of the royal guard. Roman had heard stories, but never met the man until today, which was hardly unusual given that Janus was a drake—the son of a human and a dragon. They were notoriously gifted shapeshifters, even with a handicap like his.

Lord Janus was powerful, deadly, and highly skilled at remaining an enimga...but a hobbled child necromancer in a cell had the power to stay his hand.

Janus raised an eyebrow at Patton, but finally glanced at Roman.

Roman nodded. Janus refocused on the guard, pushing the tip of his sword against the hollow of his throat, hard enough to draw blood.

“Majesty, I beg you! I don't want to die!” the guard begged.

Roman let out a bemused little laugh.

“How strange,” he replied as calmly as he could manage, “I was under the impression you did, given the fact that you refused, a second time, to obey a direct order from your king.”

“The Necromata must be bound! It's the law!”

“I am the law!”

Storming up to the guard, Roman let his emotions fuel him—exhaustion, grief, anger, confusion, and the tearing, unspeakable ache that throbbed through him every time his gaze ventured too close to the open door of the cell where Logan still leaned.

The wail he'd let out when Roman pulled free of his grip to order the cell door opened was going to haunt his sleep. The way he stood now, so carefully still, features so meticulously schooled into calm, unfeeling lines, was going to rob him of that breath of life Logan had only just returned to him.

“I am the king now, and I am the ultimate authority.” Roman spat. “Now, I fully understand the need to shackle a prisoner being removed from his cell, but as far as I am concerned, this man is no longer a prisoner here.”

“You can't--”

“I think you'll find that I can.”

“Your Majesty.”

Roman turned at the sound of Logan's voice, cool and even but too quiet, hoarse and thick with the tears he'd finally managed to stop from streaming down his face.

“The law is such that the king cannot overrule it.” Logan declared with deceptive calm. “The Necromata, once imprisoned by the royal family, can only be pardoned for the crimes of their birth with the blessing of the people. A vote, if you will...and no such vote has ever been successfully passed.”

“How do you know this?”

“I have been here for ten years with little more to do than read. I have the entire legal code of the Kingdoms and the criminal rules of order memorized, along with the family tree of the royal family and all available star maps of the area.”

Roman wanted to scream. He wanted to hit something—for a terrible moment, he wanted to order Janus to proceed with the guard's execution for real, rather than just trying to make a point.

Then inspiration struck—bright, blinding, and blessed as it filled him with light.

“My order will still be obeyed.” Roman announced. “These two necromancers—they may not be pardoned, but they will be imprisoned at my pleasure...and it is my pleasure to have them confined to guest quarters upstairs. Have extra guards posted at all available palace entrances. They are not to leave the grounds until the vote has been passed. Successfully.”

He shot a look at the offending guard.

“And the first person to shackle either one of them without violent provocation will be hung at dawn.”

Janus lowered his sword and slid it back into its sheath—the cane he'd been carrying with him—before moving to Roman's side.

“Bit extreme, don't you think, Majesty?” he murmured once he was close enough to ensure that only Roman would hear him.

“My father is dead, Lord Janus.” Roman shot back bleakly. “I have yet to shed a single tear for him--'extreme' feels like an appropriate response right about now.”

“Touche. Of course—and it has nothing to do with the traumatized necromancer you're apparently well acquainted with?”

Roman didn't answer as he moved towards the open door of the cell. Standing before Logan, he extended his hand...

...then suddenly realized that was a bad idea as he put his hand back down again.

********** More.

Logan could hardly string a single coherent thought together around the constant chant in his mind, his marrow, his soul for the prince to touch him again. He couldn't let him, not when it was so agonizing, fire and pressure and somehow affecting every nerve in his body when it was focused on such a small area...

More. More. More.

He didn't understand why restraining himself was so hard. It hurt, it was clearly doing him some kind of physical and psychological harm...and yet he wanted. Needed.

He couldn't remember ever experiencing the sensation.

It very nearly caused another panic attack when the prince dropped his offered hand—and that was another problem entirely, standing before a cell door standing wide open, and the use of the word pardon being thrown around like it wasn't capable of changing the world as Logan knew it—but the pause that seemed to last for an eternity must have only been a few seconds long.

Because a moment later, the Green Man—the prince—was reaching into his pocket and producing a pair of pristine white gloves. A missing piece of the military uniform, how had Logan not noticed? He usually noticed things like that...

When he finished tugging them on, he offered his hand to Logan again. He said nothing...just waited.

Logan shook with the force of effort it took to reach, slowly, to accept the offered hand. The gloves blocked some of that heat from skin to skin contact—and when he gently folded his fingers around Logan's, barely any pressure, it was still intense...but better.

“All good, Berry?”

Logan looked into his eyes sharply, the name ricocheting around in his skull in a manner he hadn't experienced in literal years—not since he'd first discovered his power was awakening again, all concussive force and electricity crawling against the underside of his skin.

All at once, the years fell away, and he was asleep in his cell that first terrible night, dreaming of every monstrous shadow transforming into a protector as green eyes lit the dark.

He opened his mouth to answer yes, he was fine—then realized...

“I do not know which of the princes you are.” he admitted with a bemused huff.

That got a smile from the other man—too brief, far too brief before it fractured to pieces, a crystal goblet slammed to the floor, raining shards of razor sharp light.

“Roman.” he replied. “Pr—King Thomas Roman II, but you may address me by my name.”

“Hardly acceptable, is it, Majesty?” Janus mused.

“Given that my life is currently in this man's hands—and the future of my father—I'd say he's earned a few niceties, Lord Janus.” Roman announced, raising his voice to ensure everyone within earshot was aware of it. Logan had a strange feeling that Lord Janus spoke up for precisely that purpose, to make his situation known.

Logan's, not Roman's—Logan knew that anyone with a shred of loyalty to the king would probably kill him if given the chance. There was no question that someone would likely accuse a necromancer with ties to the crown prince of the murder. Fear for Roman's safety would keep him protected.

Janus was that kind of man, shrewd and shameless—Logan knew precious little about Prince Roman, but to discover that he was equally blessed with the gift of strategy was...intriguing.

“Lord Janus, see to it that Logan's cell mate is made comfortable, and shown around the north wing of the palace. That is where I would prefer they spend the bulk of their time.” Roman declared. “I will take custody of this prisoner myself. When you are done, I want you, the dungeon master, the head prison mage, and a heart healer in the war room, immediately. Send for my brother as well.”

“Yes, Your Majesty—but I cannot send you alone.” Janus replied. Surveying the guards in their presence, and grimacing with impatience, he finally took a few steps down the corridor and flagged down another guard.

“You! Fetch the cadet from the graveyard patrol, now! I want him on the king's detail.”

Roman nodded his thanks, finally turning his attention back on Logan. Between those green eyes and the warm pressure enfolding his hand, ravaging his nerves and making his chest throb with pure emotion, he wasn't sure he could stand it much longer without losing his composure.

“Are you all right?” Roman asked quietly, stepping closer and into Logan's personal space. Strangely, Logan realized he could feel that as well, radiant heat and buzzing static crawling across his skin, too close and not enough and everything.

More. More. More.

“I am not.” he admitted. “Hardly unusual, given that touch starvation is a common condition among the Necromata, to say nothing of the Claim.”

“The Claim? What's that?”

Logan's mouth snapped shut, very real panic rising in his chest again.

“Whoah—Logan? Logan, breathe. Look at me, you need to breathe.”

The Claim. He knew, knew what Logan had done, was holding his hand and Logan could feel it, but now he'd spoken about the Claim, about his power, and he was going to die this time...

...two...three...four...hold for one...two...three...four...five...

“That's it, Logan. There you go, can you do it again?”

...good job, now again: in for one...two...three...four...

Pressure. Pressure, pressure, pressure, everywhere, pressure pressure unrelenting pressure...

“Hey!”

Logan blinked, attention snapping to the young man suddenly standing in front of him. He was nearly Logan's height, with straight black hair that hung in dark eyes, flinty as stone.

“Name five things you can see.”

“I...what?”

“Do it. Five things.”

Logan shook his head, and almost immediately his gaze was drawn back to Roman.

“Green Man.” he managed to reply. Roman smiled, and Logan felt that mantra start tattooing itself against the inside of his skull, blotting out the fear and panic.

“Okay, keep going. Let's keep going.”

Logan only realized they were moving because Roman still held his hand, was tugging him with the barest of pressure—and Logan's traitorous body followed. Between the cadet, demanding Logan name more things he could see, along with touch, smell, hear, and taste, and Roman's silent encouragement, he found himself moving out of his cell and towards the stairs of the dungeon.

Moving up each stair. Moving through the gate, and into the palace...moving, traveling, with only Roman's hand to restrain him.

Then he was in the palace, above the dungeons...and if he never saw the outside world again, Logan still felt like he could call himself a free man.

********** “Thank you.”

The cadet flinched a little, looking towards the king. “What?”

“Thank you.” King Roman repeated, still crouched motionless by the chair the prisoner had all but collapsed into. He'd basically passed out when they reached the war room, but didn't seem to be in any distress—just exhausted and overstimulated.

“That trick, focusing on his surroundings—it's greatly appreciated.” he went on, his gaze never leaving the sleeping man's face. He still held his hand, like he might vanish if he let him go. “How did you know it would work?”

The cadet had to grit his teeth for a second, finding himself watching the sleeping prisoner despite his best efforts not to. He looked...well, he looked like shit, and it was hard. It was so hard to watch, but he had to do it.

He was finally here, and he had to make sure that he didn't screw up again.

“I have anxiety.” he finally replied, keeping his tone even. “Nightmares, panic attacks, the works. My brother used to help me through them with tricks like that. He'd have me focus on my surroundings, or make me pick out colors—he even made me a special blanket to help me sleep. It, uh—it might be good for him? The guard who got me mentioned that this necromancer can feel your touch? If he's not used to contact, it could...”

“You'd be willing to do that?”

“Of course, sir.”

“Go and fetch it, then.”

“Sir, I was ordered to stay with you.”

“I'm the king. I overrule your orders.” King Roman replied.

The cadet lifted his gaze to the king's face, his stomach sinking when he realized he was being stared at. Hard.

Ohhhhh, shit.

“You don't call me 'Majesty.' Why?”

The cadet tried to be discreet about taking a steadying breath as he shrugged. “You have a pet necromancer now. All due respect, but I don't think you'll have the job long.”

“What do you know about necromancers?”

“I know they're not evil. Only reason I'm still here is that you seem to know it, too.”

King Roman nodded, gaze flicking down before it returned to the sleeping necromancer.

“Cadet...do you know what a Claim is?”

The cadet swallowed thickly. No...oh no.

“It's a binding ritual.” the cadet replied. “The Necromata are capable of manipulating death, but when they can't? They take it.”

“Away?”

“No—into themselves. They take the victim's dying breath, infuse it with their blood, and return it to the person it belongs to. That way, when the victim's time comes, they survive it.”

The cadet looked to the necromancer again.

Gods, Loganberry—what did you do?

“And the necromancer dies in their place.”

To his credit, the king paled, his free hand lifting to touch Logan's hair like the cadet itched to—so close for the first time in ten years, but he couldn't even comfort him.

He had to stay put. By the door, protecting the king and his charge.

After a decade, Virgil was finally, finally within reach of Logan in every way that mattered, and he would die before he jeopardized his one chance to save him.

Virgil was the one who got his big brother caught and imprisoned in the first place—he was damn well going to make sure that he was the one to set things right.

[maxrev]

Okay, I'm game - WIP Files: Nightclub AU. Tell me all about it! :D

Your wish! Thanks for asking :)

Side note: This idea was brought about while listening to the radio and and someone began talking about Spanish novellas. Don’t ask me, my muses just went wild  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

  So.... Shep and Kaidan meet randomly one day at a bakery in Citadel, a city full of opportunities and many dangers. 

-- Kaidan likes his coffee sweet w/a danish on the side but only on Friday’s.

-- Shep likes his coffee sharp and bitter, ‘like me’ he jokes. No extras.

They run into each other time and again at the bakery [and also in and around Citadel, different places.] They get to know each other better. There’s a mutual attraction which becomes a lot more. 

Eventually, Kaidan goes to Shep’s apt, they have a few drinks, begin kissing. They’re interrupted when the door to the apt crashes against the wall and a skeleton from Shep’s past, Finch, enters the room. Chaos ensues, shots are fired, and Kaidan’s hit. He wakes up in the hospital, Shep by his side. Except...Kaidan doesn’t remember him. Dun, dun, dun...He has amnesia. [trope, I know but I do what I want]

Leaving the hospital, Kaidan finds a picture in his wallet. It’s an older couple standing on a porch, an orchard in the background. On the back is handwritten, ‘Mom and Dad - orchard BC interior - (year). He leaves Citadel without telling the stranger who visits [Shepard] to find the couple, see who they are and if they can provide any answers for him. 

___________

2 years later

___________

Shep now owns a nightclub called the Normandy. [Barely one step up from being run-down and seedy, it’s dark and shadowy inside, a bit eclectic.] The exact place to leave the world behind and forget your troubles, lose oneself in another world. Shep knows firsthand what that feels like. 

_______

One slow, rainy night, Shep turns towards the door as someone enters, watching in disbelief as a familiar face walks in. 

“Kaidan!” 

The man turns, assesses him and then says, “Hey there. It was you...a couple years ago. I was in the hospital. Who are you again?” 

Shep’s dreams crumble around him once more. So, Kaidan still doesn’t remember him...or them. 

_______

Kaidan is back in town and looking for a job; Shep’s been needing an extra bartender. He offers to teach Kaidan the ropes along with James Vega, the current bartender. For Shep, it’s agonizing, being so close to him -- the way his blood heats whenever they touch, the familiar smell of the cologne Kaidan has always worn, the warmth of his body. It’s agonizing...and exhilarating all at the same time. 

One night while cleaning up, it’s just the two of them, radio playing quietly at the end of the bar. Shep hears Kaidan singing softly. He’s very good, something he never knew frombefore. A few nights later, he finds him sitting at the piano, playing a song. Again, he’s very good. Shep convinces him to get up on stage a couple of nights a week. 

Over time, they grow closer. Much closer. Yet, Shep feels guilty, almost like he’s taking advantage of Kaidan because he knows at one time there was something between them. Kaidan thinks this is all new. It is, in a way, just not in the way he’s thinking. 

Etc, etc. 

I’ve started it but...yeah

as per usual xD

[vorish-egos]

could we please get some headcannons for anti like y'all have for dark?? those were so good omg

Since I'm dropping by, I'll go ahead and offer up some of mine real quick! I'm sure like any other mun there are multitudinous and unique headcanons in regards to each of our versions of characters, but I don't mind offering up mine in the meantime ^^ (and yes anon, I am still working on the Dark/DA request, I have not forgotten amongst the chaos still <3)

-Anti is a much less... "Coy", predator than Dark. He won't waste his time playing mind games, but rather lead the prey on in a real game of cat and mouse if he's bored enough. He's much more physical and "pouncing", and in it for the chase and the hunt/endgame, unhesitatingly rough with his snack if he just cares about scaring them instead of tucking them away. If he cares about the one he's turning into a snack though, then he'll definitely be a bit gentler and at least use swallows that glide the prey more easily down into his powerful gullet, with actions more slow and deliberate, but still eager to get the precious cargo inside where they can be under his complete contro- I mean protection.

-A common trope I think is that Anti has green innards, be they neon or a deep glistening hue—and even a static-y stomach is another option, with the prey suspended in a sort of void of white noise, cocooned in his glitchy atmosphere— I for sure go with the flexible tongue and slight yet still-sharp canines, where he can use his tongue to easily wrap around his meal and pull them into his equally flexible jaws. And being a demon, he can handle a great deal of volume in his stomach, as well as control his system so that he can speed up, slow down, or even halt digestion altogether.

-He is also hypermetabolic, which is a huge cause of why he's nickname-labeled a "glutton"; he has to keep eating a lot in order to negate the amount of energy spent by his glitching aura, as it takes a lot to maintain a "fully present" form without a willing host body. He also just likes the sensation of live prey, not only because it relieves the gnawing hunger, but also because it's a nice warm blissful feeling— and what consenting pred wouldn't want that~?

-And again, if he uses his gluttony as an excuse to keep a precious one close, then he'll be very "insistent" on it. To the point of making you a belly pet whenever possible. He'll snuggle you while you're inside, kneading and massaging for both of your sakes, and you can tell when he's genuinely happy if he's purring (I'll let you in on a little secret: He'll purr if you pet his head and scritch the back of his neck too, he loves having his hair stroked but will most definitely deny it, but believe me it is soft like wool. Proceed at your own risk though, side effects may include not escaping to tell the tale and being "grounded" by a very grumpy ego's stomach); he also can be very lackadaisical when his belly is stuffed, lounging around and still stroking his passenger to just relish being full while having you close. Aka. he is very possessive, in case you couldn't tell lol

-He can be a "little" fussy if you need to stretch your legs or go do something that involves leaving the confines of his stomach, but he does make a great guard-dog demon if you somehow have his loyalty. Just don't be surprised if you end up in there a lot. Although with his level of fierce devotion, it means no other egos or especially stranger-predators can have you without your explicit permission— because whoo boy, if he found out that one of them nommed you without your— or more importantly, his— say-so...

-If he's neutral towards you, then he's more likely eating you as a convenience and form of dominance, to assert and remind that he is the "ultimate predator"— though no one's seen him try to hunt Dark... Probably for the best.

-And if you're a known reformer, well... Let's just say I hope you know what you're getting yourself into XD

-So yeah, he's basically a sassy knock-everything-down-and-eat-everyone-in-my-way cat

Hopefully that gives you a basic idea on my Anti-muse's hcs lol. Take care— and don't worry about the shadows... They don't bite eheheheh~  ;3

~Zharin~

Edit: I forgot to mention that my Anti also has black claw-like nails, whoops!

[fwoopersongs]

何必诗债换酒钱 - Notes

Clean version here and thoughts under the cut.

I saw the song translation notes made by @shelterfromrain​ a while back and thought, wow! what a fantastic idea it is to share the results of the rabbit holing (that you inevitably end up engaging in when doing this) and leave a record for your future self while at it too! Currently some of the song and poetry translations on fwoopersongs do have little notes, but those were casually written on the fly and after so long, the thought process behind certain choices often get forgotten, which is such a waste... Long story short - I’m doing it this way from now on!

This song was requested by @peerlesssqq on twitter - which may or may not have bumped it up by like a year on my list (yes, I’ve been sitting on it since 2018 and you’ll see why) - and I had WAY more fun than expected, so 谢啦 ~ It was a delight to receive your DM request. I was happy for days!

Some background: 《何必诗债换酒钱》 is the theme song of 【文定乾坤】- a collection of musical works that feature notable contributors to Chinese literature in ancient times, poets and the like. Oh, and I did notice that the MV on bilibili looks like it could be a promo for a webtoon or game. Who knows? I’ll be checking out the rest of the songs, that’s for sure!

The following part of this post will be my thoughts for first the title, then each section - the intro, verse 1 & 2 and the chorus, ending off with some final comments.

Disclaimer first though (otherwise later you read already then feel like beating me up): Everything in this post is only my interpretation of the song. I have quite limited familiarity with mainland literature and culture, so of course don’t expect much xD Here you’ll only find a story-loving banana who jiak-ed kantang too much in her youth and now regrets it a whole lot. 说好了哈 I’m pants at analysis, worse at Chinese, and am not at all good with words ok?

Title

So《何必诗债换酒钱》, let’s start off with the word here that’s unfamiliar to most of us:

诗债 | shī zhài or a debt of poems/poetry debt is a legit thing! - All you authors and artists out there might be familiar with it - It’s what you call the resulting debt when a poet promises to write something for another person but hasn’t done it yet. Procrastination has apparently always been the curse of content creators.

In fact, in the Bai Juyi’s poem that came up on the 诗债 baidu page《晚春欲携酒寻沉四著作先以六韵寄之》- possibly addressed to a friend he owes - he was complaining of illness, old age and writer’s block. But then oh, he goes on and then I passed by a party where they had drinks, and was quite up to my gills & totally out of it for some time, and THAT’S why I’ve done you dirty and owe you ever so many poems. I don’t really understand the last two lines but apparently he then offers to bring a drink for this person he’s talking to, mentions a wish to meet a winter goddess (????? pretty girl? or the snow? idk which), and starts reminiscing the times that were like a precious string of pearls they had singing at Yang Pass. Most likely farewells, but without context I just don’t get it. Anyway bribery and misdirection huh? I see what you did there bro, and I’m sure the person you attempted to distract saw it coming too...

何必 | hé bì, is a rhetorical question of Must you really? In the case of this word, 何 functions as roughly ‘is it that’ and 必 as ‘it must be so’.

换酒钱 | huàn jiǔ qián is of course, exchange for money to purchase wine.

‘Must you really promise poems in exchange for money to buy wine?’ then is the literal translation of 何必诗债换酒钱.

So here is the question: Is alcohol worth a poetry debt? Onwards to the answer!

Intro

生就诗骨 算来三百篇  Born and already a poet to the bones, (with) three hundred works counting up to now. 

浪掷秦淮长安 风流李杜王白  Spending lavishly in Qinhuai and Chang’an, free/unrestrained as Li and Du, Wang and Bai;

余下十分 便随意肩上担  whatever left is divided in ten parts, casually thrown over a shoulder

权作金玉铜板 相谢好人间  and taken for jade, gold and coin, a big thank you to this good world!

I interpreted the 生 in the first line as 天生 i.e. innate, natural born talent, so this first line describes someone born with a gift for poetry with ‘three hundred’ works to their name. Although... that three hundred should not be taken too literally, it’s more likely to be an allusion to collected works like the 16th century anthology of poems, Three Hundred Tang Poems. After all, Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bai Juyi are the most famous Tang Dynasty poets… and they were all name-dropped in the next line!

浪掷 | làng zhì was a new phrase for me, and means something like spending freely and lavishly or willfully wasted. Of course Chang’an was the capital during the Tang Dynasty and it was the world's most populous city at the time. One can only imagine how prosperous it must have been… and what fun things were there to spend your money on! The banks of Qinhuai river and that general area was once a gathering place for noble/wealthy families, scholars looking for a good time (and some say, the red light district xD). Though by Sui/Tang, that area was no longer doing as well due to political shifts. So the mental image I got from 浪掷秦淮长安 is of someone gallivanting through places of interest, from the bustling and prosperous to the dilapidated.

风流 | fēng liú is as always, hard to translate with no full equivalent in english. The feel it gives me ranges from, ‘cool, dashing bloke on a galloping horse with their cloak/robes/hair flowing elegantly in the wind’ to ‘pleasure seeking dandy who totally knows how to enjoy life, all the courtesans know him by courtesy name!’.

The third line started with 余下十分, which will not make any sense - why leftover? Divide what by ten? - until its put in context with the following:

Three hundred poems 算来三百篇 + 权作金玉铜板 pretend they are gold/jade/money (权作 | quán zuò just means to take one thing for another temporarily.)

The load thrown over the shoulder 肩上担

Spendthrift behaviour on tour 浪掷秦淮长安

The TITLE: bro so u wanna promise poetry in exchange for money to drink? why.

Let’s take those precious poems that can be exchanged for gold - a whole bagful of scrolls, and now I’m so rich I can scatter my money down the streets of entertainment districts and the capital! The very image of a 风流 poet, reckless and free spirited.

// Folks, please learn from this silly girl and do not read songs (or poems) line by line. They need to be appreciated at a distance, not one inch from your eyeballs.

Verse 1

两分与月 劳烦身前打点 Two parts to the moon, (may I) trouble you to take care of me while I’m alive.

哪处巍峨峰峦 当借我悬来观 Wherever there are majestic peaks and ranges, do lend me (your light) to hang and see by.

三分典高楼 好与长风赴宴 Three parts pawned for the tall building, good for attending the banquet alongside the wind,

遍寻可爱星子 唾手一把玩 searching for charming little stars, easily caught to play with.

Now we get to see how the poet is spending his ‘wealth’. This verse is a lot more literal as compared to the introduction, so there’s not much to say.

打点 used here is so interesting! Because it’s what you call bribing someone in a superior position to smoothen your path ahead (so to speak). Thanks to a childhood of tvb drama, I vaguely associate the type of people who would 打点 with rich merchant or minor noble fathers who want to give their sons an easier time at court. Either that or lower ranked officials with less moral scruples. Anyway, what’s being said in the song is something like: here is 20% dear moon, I’ll have to trouble you to bless me for the rest of this lifetime, and also please lend me your light to see by when I have need of it at scenic spots *for art*. The moon is a muse for many poets in all its forms after all… 明月, 圆月, 孤月, 残月, 冷月, 江月, 秋月 and so on.

Actually that whole sentence 劳烦身前打点 is so playful and fun that I put it in quotation marks to emphasize it. We’ve only just begun. Is the speaker already drunk?

And with the third line, 30% has been spent. Just noting here that 典 | diǎn can be read as pawn or mortgage. Another interesting thing to note would be that this imagery of ascending a tall building 高楼 and reaching out for stars 星子 in the last two lines of Verse 1 brings to mind one particular poem, famously attributed to Li Bai. Following translation by yours truly.

《夜宿山寺》- Overnight at the Mountain Temple 危楼高百尺 | dangerously towering a hundred feet high 手可摘星辰 | the stars are within reach 不敢高声语 | one dares not raise their voice 恐惊天上人 | for fear of disturbing the deities

Though the two probably have nothing to do with each other, doesn’t the reverence in the tone of this one bring out the playful irreverence of the other? So. Much. Fun. I adore the whole feel of 遍寻可爱星子 唾手一把玩 SO MUCH.

Verse 2

两分与桥 歇脚南北行船 Two parts to the bridge where travellers on foot and by boat from the north and south can rest,

欣然八方风物 闲话半日茶碗 delighted by the scenery all around, idly chatting half the day away over bowls of tea.

三分典流水 润色枯瘦石山 Three parts for the running water, moistening the gaunt stone mountains

又将天地一展 伸手 试浓淡 and again spreading heaven and earth wide, reaching out to test the viscosity (of the water).

It took a few listens, but in the end I really enjoyed the aesthetics here. And again, this verse is quite straight to the point albeit with two things I cannot understand.

The first point of confusion for me is why the lyricist chose to use 桥 | qiáo, a bridge as the place for people to rest on their journeys. I assumed here that this in reference to a pier or dock, assumed also that he is donating funds for this structure to be built or repaired. However, if that were the case 坞 | wù would have been enough - 船坞 was supposedly invented only in the Song Dynasty though, so maybe that’s why another word was chosen. But it’s not like there is any incidence of 桥 being used to mean ‘dock’ either!

The second thing that confuses me is the use of 典 for 流水. In verse one, that 典 was referring to the poetry works sold to reserve the venue for a banquet. That usage was apt. Here I suspect it might be for parallel structure, because there is no alternative reading for 典 that might allow one to use their 30% 三分 to do anything to flowing water 流水. That’s the literal reading, of course.

If we’re taking this a little less literally, it can be interpreted as borrowing the scenery (figuratively, since the place would not belong to anyone in the way you might own a property) to admire. It also expands on the second line’s mention of the surrounding view 欣然八方风物; there is running water which completes 润色 and brings the appearance of the gaunt and rocky mountains 枯瘦石山 closer to perfection.

润色 | rùn sè means to polish, to bring to greater heights. When you say something has been 润色 it is made more brilliant and closer to perfection by that addition. It can also mean moisten.

We always hear ‘rivers and mountains like a painting’ 江山如画 - originating from Su Dongpo’s《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》- used when the scenery is wonderful, because how often is real life as ideal as what we can imagine and depict? And that is exactly what is described here. The feeling out if the ‘water’ is concentrated or diluted 试浓淡 is used in answer to 一展 unfurling. 浓淡 of ink to 一展 of painting scroll. The land and sky seem like an ink wash painting, so beautiful that the viewer cannot help but reach out to run their hand through the water.

Chorus

Chorus Part 1

若趁游兴直到酣 If we take advantage of our wanderlust and go roaming till it is sated,

千字文章不值钱 classics and essays shan’t be worth a coin.

诗换花 词换雪 A poem for a flower! A song for snow!

再作檄文斗天官 Another denunciation for those heavenly officials!

Starting off with three new terms for me: 游兴 | yóu xìng means enthusiasm for travel. 酣 | hān can mean having a great time drinking, or being very satisfied and satiated. 檄文 | xí wén is a type of official document written for important announcements, declaration of war, or denunciation and condemnation of certain people or actions.

While I still feel this need to go out to see the world, I shall keep on the road until I am satisfied. Who cares about writing, who cares for study, it’s all worthless to me. I do what I want. And what I want is to write a little poem in exchange for a flower, some lyrics for a flake of snow. I’ll even write a denunciation against those officials in heaven (immortals). Fight me!!!!

I point again at Verse 1 with climbing the tower to play with stars. It’s no longer just playing nearby, now he wants a go at the gods.

Among the four parts of the chorus, this one is the simplest for sure. The lines mean exactly what is said. It also feels the most chaotic and mischievous. Is the speaker drunk? Is he high on something? One thing’s for sure. He’s out of money.

Chorus Part 2

何愁不得一样我 Why feel troubled that (I) cannot have another just like me?

知交尽向话中添 for one who understands you and is understood, look entirely towards stories to fill that place

唐解元 嵇中散 people like Tang Bohu (first in provincial examinations) and proud, upright and stubborn Ji Kang

且驰大梦任疯癫 Just chase that great dream, allow yourself to go mad.

I feel like the first two lines are quite straightforward, though they might not appear so on first reading: How could there be a need to feel sad or troubled that I have no like-minded equal. To find a true friend who understands you without need for words, and whom you understand in return, all you need to do is turn to those tales and stories 话中 for people to fill 添 that place.

唐解元 - People like Tang Yin, courtesy name: Bohu 唐寅, 字伯虎 (1470–1524 AD), noted painter, calligrapher and poet of the Ming Dynasty. Tang Yin led a life full of ups and downs that really cannot be covered in a paragraph’s worth of song translation notes. You can check out his wiki page if you’re curious though! There’s a little more on him where I cover the last line of this section. He is addressed as 解元 | jiè yuán here which is the term for the top scorer of the provincial examinations (second stage in the Imperial examination ladder). It is also an honorific for scholars. Tang Bohu is both.

嵇中散 - People like Ji Kang, courtesy name: Shuye 嵇康, 字叔夜, (223–262 AD), one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove - a group of friends who wisely kept themselves aloof from the dangerous politics of the Court, and devoted themselves to art, refinement and debate, of the Three Kingdoms period. He was a Daoist philosopher, musician, writer and poet.  

An accomplished musician, the qin composition 廣凌散 | guǎnglíng sàn is attributed to Ji Kang, though some versions of the story claim he learned it from a ghost while stopping at a pavillion on his way home. 嵇中散 was one of the names he was known by because of his appointment to the position of Attendant Counsellor, 中散大夫 | zhōng sàn dàfū, a civil official unspecified duties in the court of Cao Wei.

When Ji Kang was sentenced to death for his attempt to testify for a wrongly accused friend, three thousand scholars petitioned for his pardon to no avail. It’s said that at the execution ground, while they waited for the appointed hour, he had his favourite qin brought out and played a brilliant interpretation of Guanglin San that is now forever lost.

Do go read about them both if you have the time!

I would like to point out for the last line that 任 is to allow, to indulge, and it’s just such a heady sensation to say 任疯癫 - indulge in the madness! throw yourself in and don’t look back!

There is an easter egg here too. A nod to a poem by Tang Yin which can be read as his stance on his lifestyle choice after the alleged accusations of bribery in the final step of the Imperial examinations left him disgraced, and unable to pursue a civil career. Thematically the line does not call back to the poem at all, similarities end with the choice of words: chasing the dream 驰大梦 and indulging madness 任疯癫.  I leave an excerpt below. Translation again by me.

《桃花庵歌》- Song of a Plum Blossom Cottage // 若将花酒比车马 | if tawdriness and wine were compared against fine carriage and steed 他得驱驰我得闲 | he would have to drive and work hard for speed whilst I have my idle rest 别人笑我太疯癫 | others mock me for my madness 我笑他人看不穿 | i am amused for they do not perceive 不见五陵豪杰墓 | can’t you see that at the Emperors’ mausoleums and heroes’ graves 无花无酒锄做田 | there are no flowers, no wine, only land ploughed for farming

The second part of the chorus isn’t related to the first, but it has the same theme of showcasing the untamable (unhinged xD) spirit of the speaker. This time, the people he admires ‘intellectual equals’ and kindred spirits are featured, the 任性 feeling here has been pushed to greater heights.

Chorus Part 3

敢夸洒落何须酒 If one dares to boast of carefreeness, why, they hardly need wine.

不煮黄粱也称仙 Even without brewing millet they would still be called Immortal.

镜湖桌 白梅盏 The tables in the mirror-like lake, white plum blossoms in the cups,

等来春风恰开宴 await the spring breeze which arrives just in time for the feast to start!

Li Bai is regarded as both the god of poetry 诗仙 and god of drunkards wine 酒仙 because he wrote some of his greatest poems while drinking. The first two lines seem to be gently poking fun at that. Like hey, if you dare to claim to be all groovy, surely you have no need for alcohol? Just like how an immortal would still be an immortal without wine, your writing talent should not need any stimulants. This would be the time to mention that 黄粱 | huáng liáng is also known as millet, a type of grain that can be used to brew wine.

洒落 | sǎ luò has a few meanings, like shower down or blame, but the relevant one here would be 洒脱 generous, uninhibited and open. For me it feels similar to 风流 in that there is that ‘free, and exhilaratingly unrestrained’ element. 洒落 is in the most positive sense, being always open to having a good time, but without that dissolute or vaguely whirlwind-romance like connotation of 风流.

It feels like the intensity is letting up a little here - this is a light-hearted and frivolous song all the way through, but the words 洒落, 称仙 and imagery of a clear lake, white plum blossoms and the crisp spring breeze are grounding and sweet. Spirited in a different way from before.

Chorus Part 4

四角天地也醺然 The four corners and heaven and earth are also tipsy,

醉极自有桃李搀 when I’ve overindulged, my students will be there to help.

快意只 笔下讨 Gratification can only be claimed from beneath the brush;

何必诗债换酒钱 is falling into poetry debt worth that money for drink?

New words: 醺然 | xūn rán just means drunk. A new word for me though! 桃李 | táo lǐ is literally peach 桃 and plum 李 (李花, also known as 玉梅) flowers, and is a metaphor for students. The term originates from a story in 《韩诗外传》which was set in the Wei Kingdom of the Spring and Autumn period (771 to 476 BCE). There was once a highly ranked official who was sacked from his post and left for the north. He met another gentleman and remarked that the people he helped before did not lift a finger when he was in need. This person replied that, if someone were to plant peach and plum trees in spring, he could relax under their shade in the Summer and taste their fruit in the Autumn. But if that person were to plant weeds, nothing can be done with their leaves in Spring and there would only be burrs to hurt himself on in Autumn. Clearly the people the unfortunate gentlemen had helped before were not worth his effort. Students ought to be carefully selected and carefully cultivated as one would a tree.

Reading the four corners and heaven and earth 四角天地 are also tipsy 也醺然, I imagine the world sort of spinning around the speaker because he is drunk. But that’s okay, because his students (or the trees xD) will be there to support him.

快意 | kuài yì is the feeling of sudden relaxation, and then lightheartedness and joy. In this line, I felt like the intention would be closer to 畅快，爽快 and so chose gratification, because really writing is like scratching an itch isn’t it? Pleasure from satisfaction of a desire. Phrasing it as 笔下讨 is so very fitting though, because 讨 can be interpreted - somewhat contradicting - as either to demand or to beg. What could be more gratifying than having squeezed out the perfect sentence or word under your figurative pen?

So so so after all that, 何必诗债换酒钱? What do you think, is alcohol worth the poetry debt? Is Mr. Poet actually drunk and about to dig himself a deeper hole of owed poems to get even MORE drunk, or has he just been thinking about it all along? :)

Thoughts

This has been such a fun adventure following our madcap big spender from the shining Chang’an to the inviting Qinhuai, shadow of great poets in tow and all. We’ve done everything from talking to the moon and seeing the sights by her light, to boating down a river, dragging fingers through the water. It was sort of like being on a backpacking tour, except with with someone contemplating opening (or perhaps regretting opening this can of worms?) poetry commissions instead of singing in the streets?

Dear reader, if you’ve reached this point of my post, thank you. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do now!

[orihara-infobroker]

Part The Second! 44. “We cannot let the faeries see this.”

So I chose Akazaki for this because I had the loose idea of them getting drunk and into trouble. I dunno how it turned out. Probably a bit out of character but here it is anyway. Imma try not to overthink it. XD

~

"Who'd have thought we'd be drinking with faeries?" Akabayashi chuckled as he sauntered down the hallway, drink in hand, swaying a bit. He used the other hand to gesture at the stone walls, seemingly overgrown with ivy that parted to reveal the occasional wall hanging or sculpture hidden in small recesses. 

"Some good liquor they're serving" Aozaki replied. "Tastes like fruit juice but it sure packs a punch."

Akabayashi grinned and took another sip. "With Izaya and Shiki getting political with the important people… Faeries… "

"Whatever," Aozaki interrupted.

"Yeah, so, what say we explore this place?"

"You mean snoop." Aozaki gave Akabayashi a glare.

"Call it whatever you want. I want to see what these faeries are hiding."

"Why? Doesn't involve us any. Dunno why they even invited us. Or why Shiki got involved. Yakuza shouldn't be dealing with this kind of thing."

"Always so narrow-minded. Imagine what we could do if we had faerie allies with their abilities."

"Nothing we couldn't do without them. Might be useful but you can't trust 'em."

"That's why we're investigating." Akabayashi stopped in front of a set of double doors, ornately carved wood depicting a script neither of them understood. He tried the door and, finding it unlocked, pushed it open. "After you."

"This is your bad idea."

Akabayashi grinned and shrugged, stepping into the room. Aozaki followed despite his criticism, throwing back the last of his faerie wine. They looked around the room, Akabayashi overtly curious while Aozaki’s expression was one of bored disinterest. The room was full of more faerie art; paintings on walls, sculptures and vases on the floor or pedestals, and hanging tapestries that served as decoration and divider. Tables of food and refreshment had been set up in this room as well, drawing a grin from Aozaki as he traded his empty glass for a new one.

"Nice. More wine." Aozaki examined the food, grunting at the assortment of fruits and bite-sized pastries.

"Guess this isn’t off-limits.”

“Did the unlocked door give it away?”

Akabayashi rolled his eyes and began wandering the room, grabbing another glass of wine as he examined the artwork. “Maybe Shiki should offer to sell their art in the gallery.” He mused, half-joking. “Come here, there’s another set of doors.” 

“Or I could stay here and enjoy the wine.”

"You have no sense of adventure."

"I have better priorities." Aozaki raised his glass and downed it.

"Just grab the bottle." Akabayashi pushed open the doors onto a new room, this one lit by flickering candles and decorated in gauzy drapery. "This looks promising. You coming or not?"

Aozaki sighed and grabbed a bottle, taking a long pull from it then following Akabayashi. "I guess I should keep an eye on you."

Akabayashi snorted. "Don't strain yourself."

 "Shut up. What's the point of this? We're not going to find any secrets this way. Kick down a locked door, you"ll have better results."

"And bring whatever guards they have running? Stupid." Akabayashi stepped through the doorway and into what appeared to be the artist’s workroom. He examined the canvas set up on an easel then turned his focus to the brushes scattered on a tray nearby.

Aozaki settled into a chair, watching Akabayashi. "Might be fun to fight them skinny fuckers. Mess up their pretty faces. They don't look like they’d put up much of a fight though.” 

“Is there anyone you wouldn’t fight?”

“Sure. Lots of people. I wouldn’t bother with most of them but guards are fair game.”

“You ever take art classes in school?”

“The fuck kind of weird question is that?”

Akabayashi picked up a brush with a grin. “I always thought art class was pretentious. Bunch of snobs talkin’ ‘bout what art really is.”

“Good thing you’re not in charge of the galleries with that attitude.”

Akabayashi snorted and put down the wine bottle, studying the small tubes of paint instead. “Even Shiki wouldn’t call the knockoffs we sell art.”

“Hey, the originals we’re ripping off are real art.”

“Stay still. I’m gonna paint you.” Akabayashi grinned at Aozaki but the other just rolled his eyes. 

“Idiot. Don’t mess with the faerie art.”

“I forgot you don’t know what a joke is.”

“Sure I do. Your jokes are just shitty.”

“So you don’t want a portrait?”

“It’ll probably look like a five-year old’s first drawing.”

“As if you could do better.”

Aozaki snorted and pushed himself to his feet. “Bet I could. Give me that brush.”

Akabayashi grinned. “Bet you can’t.” He replied as he tossed the brush at Aozaki then grabbed another one, turning to the blank canvas.

It wasn’t long before the two were laughing at their best attempts at art, completely terrible cartoonish drawings of each other that got worse with every brush stroke. They were finally interrupted from their fun by the insistent chiming of a clock that filled the room, reminding them that they’d been away from the party for nearly an hour. 

Akabayashi stared mournfully at the empty bottles of wine while Aozaki contemplated the canvas. “We cannot let the faeries see this.”

Akabayashi snickered. “Probably should have considered that before you started painting.”

“Think we can sneak it out to the car?”

“Without someone seeing us? Impossible. Just leave it here, they won’t find it till tomorrow and by then it won’t matter. Maybe they’ll even hang it in their gallery. Let’s go find more wine.”

“Finally a good suggestion.” Aozaki turned away from the painting, weaving unsteadily toward the door. Akabayashi paused just long enough to snap a photo of the canvas before following Aozaki back out to the gallery, the wine, and the party.

[diverse-hearts-a]

Merry Christmas!

Another year is passing us by and my return to Tumblr has been made even more enjoyable with the amazing friendships to have been built. I truly wish to get to know each everyone of you out there and I look forward to seeing what stories we build together in the new year! Thank you for dealing with my randomness, my inbox invasions, the fact that most of my characters seem to either be angry, murderous or both. I was more than a little worried about moving not only into different fandoms but to a multimuse too. My first multimuse failed so badly but this one seems to only be improving - thanks to all of your acceptance. I apologise for the tag spam below the read more xD

@jxngsterunterboss - Alice I love you and I shall always love you. We’ve known one another for YEARS now and it’s been such a delight to get to speak with you even more, to get to learn more about you and to be able to call you a friend. I hope that the next year is kinder to you, that you can grow to have just that little bit more confidence in yourself and your skills. You’re an amazing friend, an amazing writer and a darn good artist, I wish you could see what I see in you sometimes <3. Merry Christmas hun x

@frozcnhearts - BRO BRO. I honestly could just leave it at that lmfao! We’ve certaintly had our ups and down over the years but I’m glad we’ve stuck together. You’re such a good friend to have, put up with so much of my randomness and got me hooked on a new gatcha game like the evil person you are. But I got you into BSD so we’re even right? I love the little family we’ve built up, love writing with you, talking with you - here’s to many more years!

@shrimps-variety-garden - My tumblr wife, one of the newest additions to the circle of friends to be made on this hellsite. I’m glad we got past the shyness in order to build the friendship that we now have. It’ll be nice to get to know you even more in the new year. Thanks for being an amazing friend and for welcoming my angsty self to put our characters through hell /o/

@crmnpnshmnt - 404! My love! Another new friendship I’ve come to treasure. It’s always such a joy to speak with you, to write with you, to spam one another with pain and to send Alice slowly insane xDD I hope to get to know you more, going forward into the new year. Let us continue our reign of terror :D

@agent-candyfloss - BEEEEEEE - You shall forever be Dad no matter how young you actually are lol It’s been a few years now since we’ve met and you’ve always proved to be such a bright, smart and kind hearted person. May we whine about Karens together for years to come yet :D

@witheredhexrts - just because your on hiatus, don’t think you get to avoid my love. My Angel, we all miss you lots but at the same time are proud of the hard work you’ve been putting into your studies. We shall forever be there when you need someone to talk with or just a break. You’re doing so well but please don’t forget to look after yourself!! Love you Angel x

@nycttophilic - KIKI ~ I thank you for being so welcoming, for being so mature and kind hearted and never seeming to mind my random fan girl moments or that I like to bring pain to the softest of characters :D Your a joy to speak with and I really am glad I get to call you a friend x Here’s to many more years!

@hasjoinedthechatroom - AHA! I bet you thought I forgot you *squeezes* Kiwi ~ you are a star. You manage so many muses, so many blogs, scream about OCs and I can’t get enough of it. You deal with my slow ass and I thank you for that. The pain we spread between Seven and Mai in particular has been rather enjoyable and such a mess xDD Your stuck being my friend now >:3

@somegremlin - To think I was super duper shy once upon a time around you. You shall forever be stuck with the curse of the Mori icons >:3 Honestly, not only have you made me fall in love with a character I gave not too much thought to before writing with you, you’ve just been amazing in general - always able to offer advice or just make others laugh. You’re such a kind hearted person and I’m glad we’re friends xx

@jinxo - Fellow island dweller and lover of ChuuAtsu! Trish, your great to speak to, great to plot pain with and though your appearance can seem rather random at times, they are always more than welcomed. I’m glad to have met you! Let’s continue to spread chaos into the new year :D

@kaibagirl007 - one of the people who tempted me back to writing my Yugioh muses. You’ve been a dear friend to me over the years now and I’m always so happy to see you around. I’ll always be here as you have been for me, never feel afraid to poke my IMs whenever you need a friendly ear to listen. I love you hun x I hope 2020 is good to you and your family!

@adonaiis - I’m so happy to be able to keep writing with you. You’re such a talented individual who captures her muses so well and I actually really love the no bullshit attitude that you toss towards the dash, it’s never done in a cruel way, not brutal honesty at times and yet you’re such a sweetheart! I wish you all the best for 2020!

Special thank you goes to @protectheweak, @dcfygraviity, @madamhatter @yokohamaweretiger, @lilstrawbxrry @lenny-pooh and @nicholas-wolfwood - for just being awesome to write with, speak with and following me from blog to blog without losing your mind. You deal with my slow ass but always willing to speak with me and come to me with new ideas too! I hope to become closer friends in the future! Keep being creative guys! You’re all amazing and talented and I stalk way too many of your threads :D

A HUGE hug and lots of kisses given to all of those on the BSD server! All of you have given such a warm, safe and loving place for us to gather and scream over not just BSD but other fandoms too - not to mention the clowning that happens in the mayoi chat. We shall forever suffer together. I hope to be able to reach out to each and everyone of you more in the future. My inbox is forever open so your always free to spam me!

I apologize if I missed anyone. I truly do love everyone that I get to interact with and though I am a shy potato - I look forward to the new relationships and friendships that will be built in 2020. Thank you each and everyone of you who deal with my chaotic energy. Here’s to the new year! xx

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Ninety-Five: Out to Dinner ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata, Hyūga Hiashi, Hyūga Hanabi ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

Well...today’s the day.

And he has...no idea what he’s supposed to do.

They arrange to meet in the early afternoon, Hinata promising her father she’d use the morning to tend to some of her homework before taking the rest of the day off. Hiashi agreed, and so Sasuke arrives at her house at about two in the afternoon. And even after several hours to sit and think about it, he still has little to go on in regards to what a date is really...supposed to be. A few minutes are spent sat in the car, nibbling his lip in thought.

...now or never.

Getting out of the driver’s side, he gives the house a once-over. It’s a two story white craftsman, on a large corner lot with a sizeable, well-kept yard. All it needs is a picket fence and you’d see it in one of those magazines housewives are always drooling over. He’d know: Mikoto always has one lying around someplace, dreaming of remodeling their house.

Walking up the path to the front door, he gives the bell a ring. He texted Hinata five minutes before he arrived, but...well, he’s expecting someone else to answer the door.

And it turns out, he’s right.

Hiashi is who pulls it open, beholding Sasuke properly for the first time. Sasuke, in turn, does his best to stand in some manner that doesn’t look forced, but not too relaxed, either.

“...sir.”

“You must be Sasuke,” the Hyūga muses.

“Yes, sir.”

“...you needn’t call me sir. Mister Hyūga is polite enough.”

“Er...right. Is, uh...is Hinata ready…?”

“I believe she is finishing up. You may come in to wait, if you wish.”

“...thanks.” Stepping in to a tiled entryway, Sasuke just sort of...lingers, not daring to get his shoes on any carpet. The interior, like the exterior, is mostly white: everything is greyscale, light and airy. It’s...probably the nicest house he’s ever been in. His own is nothing to sneeze at, but...wow. This place is nice.

Hands in his pockets, he watches as Hiashi retreats out of sight. Well...so much for making small talk. But maybe he’s glad for it, honestly. They haven’t exactly gotten off to a good start…hopefully Hinata won’t take too much longer.

But before she comes downstairs, another person walks past: her little sister, Hanabi, who Sasuke has heard...very little about. Looking very much like her father with the same face shape and hair shade, she pauses as she catches sight of him.

...there’s an awkward moment of staring.

“...you Hinata’s boyfriend?” she asks, speaking past a stick of pocky in her mouth.

“Uh...yeah. That’s me.”

“...you’re hotter than I thought you’d be.”

As Sasuke balks, she breaks into a laugh, waving a hand and continuing on through the house.

...what was that?!

It’s then Hinata comes down the stairs, slowing to a stop as she catches his expression. “...are you okay?”

“...yeah. Just...met your sister.”

Understanding seems to brighten her face. “Oh...that explains it. She say anything...weird?”

“...she thinks I’m hot.”

She can’t stop a snort. “Yeah, that’s...Hanabi for you. She’s in that weird eighth grader stage.”

From another room, the younger sister calls, “I HEARD THAT!”

Hinata just rolls her eyes. “Ready to go?”

“I think so.”

“Okay...let me go say goodbye to my dad, then we can head out!”

“No need.”

Hiashi then rounds the corner, Hinata looking a bit surprised. “Oh! Well...Dad, this is Sasuke, Sasuke...this is my dad, Hiashi.”

“We had a...brief introduction when he arrived,” the patriarch assures her. “So, I suppose this is where I set the boundaries? Home by ten, and do call if you have any major changes in plans. Which...would be?”

“Uh...thought we’d go hang out at the mall, maybe catch a movie and some dinner…?” Sasuke shrugs.

Amusement flickers Hiashi’s lips for just a moment. “Agreeable. Do be careful, Hinata.”

“I will. See you when I get back.”

The teens then make their way back outside and into Mikoto’s SUV. As Sasuke does up his seatbelt, he mumbles, “...that was the most awkward introduction I’ve ever had in my life.”

Hinata can’t help a giggle. “I’m sorry...m-my dad’s really...stiff. He’s too serious, but...he tries.”

“He didn’t hate me?”

“If he hated you, we wouldn’t be in the car right now.”

“...okay then. So, uh...mall sound good to you? I...really have no idea what else to do. It’s where I go to bum around with Naruto most of the time.”

“Sure! In all honesty...I don’t even know what movies are playing right now…”

“Then we’ll both be surprised.” Backing from the driveway, Sasuke steers the car toward downtown, the mall soon looming before them. Once parked in the garage, they head up into the building proper. “Got any favorite places to browse?”

“A few, but...they’re mostly for clothes. I don’t want to b-bore you.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Um...there’s also a neat bookstore, with board games and stuff?”

“I think I know that one...should we start there?”

“Sure!”

They mosey, taking their time and window shopping on the way. Sasuke very rarely goes in most of the shops in the mall, preferring to just walk around and people watch, maybe peruse things in the displays. His allowance pays okay, but he prefers to save and splurge on stuff for his PC or games for his Playstation.

The bookstore is pretty busy, filled mostly with younger kids. But that doesn’t stop Hinata from looking over their puzzles and books, Sasuke observing a model train do its laps alongside a few tykes.

Without him looking, Hinata takes a small video of it, smiling behind her phone.

In the end she buys a few new books, Sasuke finding an old school PC game he used to play in elementary school to splurge on. Sheepishly explaining the educational title to her, he glances over as she giggles.

“I remember that one! It was on the computers in the library!”

“Yeah! I didn’t think you could find it anymore...maybe it won’t even play on my computer, but it was only ten bucks...might as well try.”

“Mhm!”

From there, they go to the in-mall cinema, picking a movie at random based on the posters. It’s a comedy, the pair sharing some overpriced candy and popcorn. Sasuke quickly grows a bit bored, but gets a kick out of Hinata paying rapt attention and laughing every few seconds.

...she’s so cute.

After that, they wander a little longer, Hinata dragging him into a rather...eclectic place with weird clothes, crystals, incense, and fancy glass sculptures.

“Oh, wow...look at that one!” Hinata points to a lion posed atop a rock. “It’s so pretty…!”

“You like lions?”

“I was...a big Lion King fan as a kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm!” She gives him a glance. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“Everyone has the Disney movie from when they were a kid. What was yours?”

“Actually, it was uh...The Black Cauldron.”

“Really?! That one was so scary!”

“Yeah, that’s why I liked it! No one else really seemed to, though...my brother was all about Hercules.”

“Aww, I love that one…”

“...you gonna buy that, then?”

“Oh gosh, no...it’s way too expensive.”

“...what if I go in half?”

“Sasuke, no!”

“You want it, don’t you?”

“W-well, yeah! But -?”

“I’ll pay half.”

Torn between stubborn refusal and longing, she bites her lip before giving in. “...oh, okay! But I owe you.”

“Whatever you say.”

Once the fragile artwork is carefully wrapped and put in a box, the pair make their way to the few restaurants on the main floor. “What sounds good?”

“Anything, really...that popcorn didn’t fill me up at all!”

They head into a grill, ordering and chatting as they wait.

“Are you nervous about state?”

“...yeah, kinda. Mostly I’m just psyched we’re going, but...now that we’re going? I wanna go all the way.”

“I bet you will.”

“I dunno...there’s a lot of good teams. But we’ll sure try.”

“I’ll be there to cheer you on, okay? Sakura said she’d go with me, since she and Naruto finally g-got together.”

Sasuke pauses for a moment. “...that doesn’t bother you?”

“...should it?”

“You liked him for a long time.”

“...well, I’m not what he wanted. And that’s okay.” She gives him a shy smile. “...and you liked me for a long time, so...m-maybe it’s only fair.”

“Is that why you asked me out?”

“No! Well...maybe partially. But also because I like you, and...I w-want to give this a try.” After a small hesitation, she puts a hand atop his own on the table, earning a small blush.

“...o-okay.”

After going out for dinner (and Hinata indulging in dessert, which Sasuke skips with his lack of a sweet tooth), they wander a little longer to let their meals settle. Then back to the car they head, both clearly disappointed the evening is almost over.

“...well, did you have fun?” he asks, maneuvering out of the garage.

“I did...a lot, actually. And thank you again for the lion...I am going to pay you back for that!”

“You can try,” he teases.

Pulling along the curb at her house, Sasuke walks her up to the door, hands in his pockets as she carries her few bags from her shopping.

“...thank you for taking me,” she eventually offers as they idle.

“Yeah, well...thanks for asking me,” Sasuke counters with a hint of a grin. “...it was really nice.”

“Would you...w-want to do it again sometime? Well...maybe something different, I mean, but another...d-date?”

“...I think I would. We’ll, uh...plan a bit more next time.”

Hinata giggles. “...okay.”

...another silence blooms.

“...well...I better get inside…”

“Yeah, I gotta get home, too.”

“Text me when you get home, so...I know you made it okay?”

“Sure.”

After another pause, Hinata hesitates for a moment before swooping forward atop the step. Lips give a press to Sasuke’s cheek, which quickly blooms red. “...goodnight.”

“...night,” he manages to reply, watching her head in. Blinking a few times, he then dares to grin, walking on air to the car.

...maybe this whole date thing isn’t so bad.

                                                                 .oOo.

     (This is a sequel to days 149, 168, 183, 271, 287, and 294!)      hhhhh I have an early morning tomorrow and now it's 2am BUT I GOT THIS DONE xD More of the sports verse: they're on a date! Finally! And neither of them know what they're doing, lol - but at least they had fun x3      Anyway I REALLY gotta go, so...thanks for reading!

[takaraphoenix]

M'Baku and Bucky trying to learn how to flirt with the master of flirting.... "Wait you learned how to flirt via Steve Rogers?".... After Tony calms down he smiles towards the two men and says "hit me with everything you got"

(uuuh, I changed it a little bit, hope it’s okay xD)

"Hello, beautiful. Come here often?"

Tony coughed as he accidentally swallowed his cocktail wrong. Really? That line? Cocking one eyebrow, he turned to look at the man who had spoken. Just to sputter some more. Wow. That was – a lot of man. He was tall, broad, muscular, handsome.

"Not really. The borders only opened recently and this is my first stay in Wakanda."

"I'm M'Baku, leader of the mountain tribe", said the handsome man in ways of introduction.

"Tony Stark", countered Tony with an amused smile.

"Oh, I know who you are. T'Challa talks about you a lot", hummed M'Baku.

"Only good things, I hope", grinned Tony. "Bagheera and I have been in corespondence a lot."

Which was true. After turning on Tony's team during the 'Civil War', T'Challa had reached out to Tony. The two had been working on redefining the Accords together and T'Challa had given his word that if the Avengers faced true danger, like the invasion of New York, and needed back-up, Black Panther would be there. It was good to have the king on his side. There weren't many people in his corner these days, not since the others had left and the Avengers broke apart.

"Looking like you could need a savior from that brute, doll."

Tony raised both eyebrows. He may not have met M'Baku in person before, but he had heard enough about the leader of the Jabari tribe from both T'Challa and Shuri to know that insulting him was not a great idea. Though then M'Baku started laughing and pulled the man who had spoken closer. Tony's eyes widened surprised as he recognized the man. He had changed since Tony had last seen him. He looked – healthier. His hair was put in a bun, he was smiling amused, wearing casual clothes, well, casual for this region at least.

"Barnes", stated Tony slowly. "Shuri told me that your treatment had been effective, but..."

"I'm not back to my old self, but I think that's due to me not being that man anymore", mused Bucky as he came to stand on Tony's other side. "I go by... James these days. Trying to, you know, find myself. Who I am now. Wakanda is... good to me."

Tony nodded, wondering why James Barnes was sharing that with him, before James continued. "I figured I owe you that much. After... And I wanted to... I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what I did. I know I didn't do it, my doctors keep working on that issue with me, but it was still my hand that did it and they were your... parents. I have to apologize to you for that."

Tony nodded once more before he sighed. "I know it wasn't you. I... suppose I owe you an apology too, for the way... I overreacted, I know that. I'm sorry too."

Bucky – no, James – shook his head slowly and got a drink of his own. "I don't blame you. You saw something... very traumatic, with no warning. Stevie, he should have... he should have told you."

"Now that you got that outta your way, you can leave again, goat boy. We were in the middle of something there when you interrupted", grunted M'Baku, staring pointedly at James.

"Can't do, gorilla man", huffed James with a smirk. "Surely the Tony Stark deserves better than your shitty, outdated pick-up lines, don't you think?"

"Because yours are any better, old man?", countered M'Baku, eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me, but what exactly are we doing here?", asked Tony, looking from one to the other.

"He's, very pathetically if I may add, trying to get into your pants", offered James.

"And you're my knight in shining armor?", snorted Tony amused.

"If you want to, doll", grinned James lightly.

And oh wow. That was it. That grin, it was the Bucky Barnes grin, the one that had made women in the 40s swoon and gasp. Tony hummed curiously at that, before M'Baku regained his attention with a large hand resting on Tony's arm. Tony turned to look at M'Baku and oh. Tony Stark had never felt more like prey than in that moment, with the way M'Baku stared down at him. Nice.

"You're both awful at this", noted Tony amused before emptying his drink. "The flirting. Really bad. It's good for you you're both handsome though, that puts one into a more forgiving mood. Still, I have a very important appointment with the princess and her lab, so if you'll excuse me."

The two men seemed to deflate a little, which was kind of adorable so Tony threw them a bone before he left. "Better luck next time, boys."

/break\

Tony was comfortably sprawled out at a pool the next time M'Baku and James found him. At least this time, he was more prepared. Not just thanks to the last meeting, but also because he had gotten some more info from Shuri, who was more than happy to be helpful in this case. Apparently, James hoarded goats now. Which, sure, why not, what else should be on a former assassin's retirement plan, right? And apparently, due to the mountain-y nature of the goats, he spent a lot of time in the mountains and had befriended M'Baku up there over time. Interesting.

"So, did it hurt when you arrived in Wakanda?", asked M'Baku with a cheesy grin.

"Why? Because I fell from heaven?", snorted Tony amused.

"No, because crawling outta hell must be exhausting and you are hot as hell, doll", offered James.

"You two are really bad", laughed Tony and shook his head. "Where did you learn to flirt?"

"Well, I never did", mused M'Baku with a frown. "I met my late wife when we were still children, we grew up together and then got married when we were old enough."

"Well, I don't... remember. I used to. Used to be good at flirting, but I guess it's one of the things I have to learn again?", offered James reluctantly.

Tony heaved a sigh at that. Way to kill the mood, on both of them. Not that Tony was one to talk; he hadn't done this in years either. His relationship with Pepper and how that ended over her wanting him to stop being Iron Man and him not being able to – it had been a while since he last had as much as a casual hook up. So maybe he should cut the two of them some slack.

"How about...", drawled Tony with a mischievous smile. "We simply skip the flirting?"

He rested one hand on each man's chest, while M'Baku and Bucky exchanged a surprised look. They had realized that they found Tony Stark more than attractive a while ago and had agreed on a friendly competition to see who could charm Tony first. This... was not the expected outcome.

"I'm game if you're game, gorilla man", offered James with a cocky grin.

"Oh, it is on, goat boy", huffed M'Baku and easily threw Tony over his shoulder.

[nightglider124]

Stay The Night

So, I watched ‘Justice League VS Teen Titans’ the other night to amp my dickkory feels to motivate me to write an update for Bound but instead... this idea popped into my head. 

It’s based with DCAU at the end of the first TT movie.

We’re just ignoring the part at the end when you see Terra on her way to the tower. We’re pretending that doesn’t exist in this oneshot. K? Thnx. XD

Also; didn’t get a chance to update Bound today because I was writing this and now I’m about to work on another thing too so expect a Bound update on Sunday.

Hope ya like it. 

Kory reached into the large pizza box that Cyborg held in his hands, smiling when she noticed Damian sidling up beside her for the next slice.

She closed her eyes as she took a large bite, the mix of flavors tingling her taste buds. Cheese mixed with tomato, pepperoni and sausage; the spice from the meats making her want to nibble some more without bothering to swallow the first mouthful, but she reluctantly resisted the temptation. Pizza was worth savoring anyway.

She hummed a content sound to herself and sat on the sofa, surprised to see Damian sit down beside her. He had taken a seat on the far end but it was near enough and Kory decided to call that a positive. She hoped he would eventually warm up to them all in his own time; this entire situation with Trigon had already put him to the test and he’d shown great potential however, he still had a long way to go.

But, Kory focused on the good in him. He was trying and he was showing improvement nonetheless; no matter how small it was.

She smiled to herself as she leaned forward for the next bite of pizza.

Garfield hurried back over to his spot on the opposite sofa, grinning when Jaime gave him a playful shove and nodded towards the game controllers on the side table.

“Vic! Get your metal butt over here; you owe me a game from last time, remember?” Gar pointed out, smirking as he wolfed down his slice of pizza whole.

Cyborg chuckled and handed one box of pizza over to Kory, who placed it between her and Damian; something that seemed to perk the boy wonder up as he reached for another piece.

Raven then gracefully accepted the box of plain cheese pizza, taking a slice and lifting into a float, her legs crossed in a pretzel style, resting the box in her lap.

Kory smiled to herself; Diana had been right when she mentioned being proud of them. She was growing fonder and fonder of the little team crowded around the main room. She watched as Jaime showed off his bubbly nature that was occasionally so hidden by the burden of the scarab fused to his spine. Garfield; the goofball she had known from the day she crash landed on Earth. Even Raven appeared to be remaining in the room and socializing more than she usually ever did, opting for this instead of a night in her room with a novel.

And Damian, as much of a conundrum as he could be in the few days she had personally known him beyond Dick’s musings; he was still with them, hanging out. He could have easily gotten back from the depths of hell and gone to his room to brood and be alone however; he had chosen to remain with them.

Kory wouldn’t be drawing attention to that anytime soon but it made her inwardly very happy that he wasn’t running from them like he had in the first day of knowing them, refusing to so much as even acknowledge their existence.

There was a warm glow in her chest as she glanced around the room and she smiled to herself.

When Dick and the other former Titans had left to go and pursue different routes in their lives, Kory had felt panicked and concerned, figuring she would be all alone. Gar stayed; decided he wanted to play hero in a team for as long as possible even if the team member count had dwindled.

But, Kory had felt a sense of loss for a while and when the younger Titans had turned up, it was far from the wholesome family feel that the past Titans radiated. She wanted that feeling back and she hoped that the younger generation would allow her this, even if it did take baby steps to get there.

Suddenly, Kory’s thigh vibrated and she flinched, forgetting that her phone was stashed in the pocket of her purple skirt. Setting the crust of her pizza slice down in the box, she stood up and wandered into the hallway, pulling her phone out from the fabric confines.

She checked the caller ID and beamed, immediately accepting the call.

“Greetings,” She chirped, leaning her back against the wall, just outside the doors of the main room,

“Hey, beautiful. How are things?” Dick greeted, a rustling of wind in the background of his voice,

“Good. And you?” Kory replied, an ache of sadness blooming out of nowhere in her chest,

She had missed him these past few weeks. Less and less did they get the chance to talk with one another. Whilst Dick was doing his own thing in Bludhaven, he had been rarely available hence why she had been so very happy to see him when he dropped Damian off to them the few days beforehand.

In front of the Titans, they maintained an air of professionalism and tried to cover up the fact there was anything more between them although; Gar gave them cheeky grins anytime they were within a foot of each other. He knew the truth; being one of their longest friends and teammates. Kory had a sneaky suspicion Raven and Jaime and even Damian most likely knew the true nature of her relationship with Dick too but they wisely didn’t tease or question it.

Of course, she knew Dick tried his hardest to contact her most days, apologizing profusely when he missed a day or two. She couldn’t be angry with him in the slightest, he was trying and that was enough for her.

It didn’t stop that hollow feeling in her heart though.

Dick chuckled, “Things are fine down this way; criminals and assholes doing their usual activities.” He paused, “How has Damian been? Still ready to throw him out a window?”

Kory snorted and there was the familiar fluttering in her stomach that only Dick managed to conjure up inside of her, “Mm... no. It has shifted to... a mild annoyance but he is learning. He has proven already that he is capable of working within a team. It seems to help him mellow out a little.”

“Damian? Mellow? I’m sorry, Kory. I don’t think I heard you right.”

She grinned and shook her head, “You would be surprised. He is taking teamwork seriously so far.”

“Well, good.” Dick briefly stopped talking and sighed, “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Kory wondered, idly twisting a lock of her hair around her index finger,

“I saw reports and feeds on the city. Demons... fire... I’m assuming it’s connected with Raven.” Dick murmured, his tone one of dread,

Kory exhaled and stared at the floor beneath her feet, “It was a... challenging day.”

“Kory...”

“We took care of it; as a team. There is much to tell you about it but just know; things were handled.” Kory reported back,

“Why didn’t you call me for backup?” He asked, his voice tinged with hurt,

“I... well... you are busy in Bludhaven... you’re not a Titan anymore-”

“You know I would be there in a heartbeat if you needed me, Kory.”

Kory felt unexpected tears prick her eyes and she argued with herself over why she was feeling so fragile. She pinned it down to missing and being so far from him. It wasn’t like he was in the room just next door anymore. He was her confidant; her trust and her heart.

It was difficult; the distance and the space between them.

“Kory?” Dick prompted,

“I know you would but it was under control... even Batman seemed impressed with our ability to save them and the world from demonic destruction.”

“Them?”

“As I said, I will need to update you on the details but... the league were affected by Trigon’s power.”

There was a long stretch of silence and she wondered if Dick sensed she was trying to steer the conversation back to the way it was going.

“Well, you guys must have really shown off if you saved the league from this thing.” He retorted, his voice softer now,

“I think it helped Damian to know Bruce was proud of what he had done.” Kory murmured,

“Sometimes, I think that’s all Damian wants; Bruce to be proud of him.” Dick admitted,

“Not always the easiest person to get that from.”

“Nope.”

The bout of silence returned and Kory chewed on her lower lip, unsure of what to say. There was an unspoken cloud that hung over them like this sometimes; when they had been apart for so long.

“So, what’re you guys doing now?” Dick asked,

Kory shook her head and forced an upbeat mindset, “Well, Victor came over and brought pizza with him. He and Garfield and Jaime are playing video games. Raven and Damian are even sitting in and watching. It is nice that they’re all socializing together.”

She heard the smile in his voice as he replied, “You’ve made a good team, Kory.”

Blushing, she rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see her.

“I have nothing to do with-”

“They’re becoming a good team because they have an amazing leader.” He told her, firmly,

She was quiet for a moment and shyly smiled to herself, “Thank you.”

He chuckled, “I knew I left the right person in charge.” He paused, “And you? Are you okay? Having fun with the others?”

“Of course.” She chirped, in a tone she hoped sounded convincing. It wasn’t that she wasn’t enjoying spending time with the team and Victor’s appearance certainly lifted her spirits but... she still wished someone else was with them and yet, he was not. She was talking to him over the phone instead of face to face.

“I miss you, y’know.” Dick blurted and Kory leaned further back against the wall, her eyes downcast. She inhaled deeply and felt a touch of hope swell within her.

“Perhaps... you could join us? If you are available... I-” He cut her off with an apologetic sigh,

“I can’t. I’m following a lead tonight on a string of recent thefts. Maybe next weekend?” He offered, trying to at least make up for his absence this evening,

Kory’s shoulders sagged and her heart sank, a crushed feeling sweeping through her. She knew what his answer would be; knew he was busy protecting Bludhaven and she couldn’t fault him for that. It was one of the reasons she loved him; his determination to help and protect the innocent from threats and danger.

But, she couldn’t help the disappointment that flowed through her.

“I’m sorry, Kory.” He told her, earnestly,

She closed her eyes and sniffled, shaking her head and smiling, “Do not be. It was merely a suggestion if you were able to. I understand.”

“I wish I could-”

“But you cannot. I know. You should go; you are busy and I should get back to the team. I believe they wish to start a movie night.” Kory replied, quickly.

“Kory-”

“I shall speak with you soon...” He paused, “I love you, Dick.”

He was silent for a moment before he exhaled and returned the sentiment, “I love you too. You know that, right?”

Kory felt another wave of sadness wash over her. She did know that but she sometimes considered their distant relationship; wondered if there would ever be a time where they didn’t communicate mostly through scattered calls and video chats.

“Of course I do.” Kory swallowed, “Bye, Dick.”

He bid her goodbye and Kory pulled her cell phone away from her ear, ending the call. She frowned and her brows knitted together as she drummed her fingertips against the back of the device, staring aimlessly at the wall opposite her.

“Kory! You in or out for movie night!?” Garfield shouted, “If you are; we’re doing this pajama style!”

Kory blinked before she burst out laughing, “I will be there in a moment!”

She smiled in the direction of the main room. Despite Dick not being able to spend time with her as much as either of them would like, she appreciated that she was not completely alone. She was in good company.

With that thought in her head, she walked towards her room, intending to do what had been asked of her and change into her bed clothes, consisting of an off the shoulder sweater that was a little too big for her and a pair of little grey shorts, revealing her long legs but it was nothing less than she showed in her uniform so she deemed it acceptable.

When she returned to the main room, she jerked in surprise. Gar had been busy shifting the couches around so they ran alongside each other rather than being situated opposite. Cyborg stood there chewing on a bite of pizza and watching as the changeling panted, out of breath from moving the furniture.

He stood back and grinned, dressed in his own pajama set, “There. Now, it’s better. It’s like a real movie night.”

Vic rolled his human eye and set the pizza down on the coffee table before making his way over to Kory. He threw an arm around her shoulders, “Everything okay there, Princess?” He paused and gave her a soft smile, “You were out on the phone for a while.”

Kory favored her friend with a warm smile and hugged him around his middle, “Everything is fine. Dick was checking in.”

“I don’t suppose the others know about you and- Oof!” He winced as Kory squeezed him that bit tighter,

“Possibly but... it is not a common topic no... I would prefer not to...” Kory murmured,

Vic held his hands up, “Right, right... I get it... keep it professional and all.” He tilted her chin up so he could look her in the eyes, “As long as everything is good between the two of you?”

She smiled, her heart swelling at Victor’s brotherly nature. He had always been this way and she cherished him for it; he made her feel looked after when she felt alone or upset,

“We are fine.” Kory told him, effectively shutting down his doubts.

He gave her one last squeeze and then released her, “Glad to hear it. Cute pj’s, by the way.”

Kory beamed at him and moved to help Gar with blankets.

Soon enough, Jaime emerged in his night clothes followed by Raven who had a book tucked under her arm but was still trying to be a team player by remaining out in the main room with them all.

Damian returned, maskless and wearing a simple pajama set consisting of a long sleeved red t-shirt and black sweatpants, surprising practically everyone else.

“What?” He snipped, brows creased and his arms folded over his chest,

“Nothing... just... weird seeing you not all, ‘I am robin merh!’” Gar admitted, puffing out his chest to impersonate him,

Damian scowled, “You said pajamas were a requirement for the movie night. I am obliging.”

Raven nudged Gar and gave him a look that asked him to give the uptight teen a break. Gar swallowed his laughter and nodded at Raven,

“That’s true. Glad you’re joining in.” Garfield smiled, earning a nod from the young, dark haired boy,

“I’m just glad none of ya’ll are opting for onesies.” Cyborg mentioned as he wandered in from the kitchen with three bowls of fresh popcorn which he placed on the coffee table,

Raven smirked and raised an eyebrow, “Onesies? Really?”

“I mean I have one but-” Gar mused but Jaime stared at him incredulously,

“How old even are you?” He snorted,

Gar huffed, “I’ll have you know onesies are appropriate for any age!”

“Mhm... keep telling yourself that.” Cyborg snarked, taking his seat in the middle of one sofa whilst Damian sat beside him. Raven curled up against the corner of the second sofa, opening the book she had to her bookmarked page.

Jaime sat beside her and rolled his eyes as Gar dropped to his knees in front of the large TV, sifting through the movie choices. Kory pushed thoughts of Dick and their relationship out of her head as she toyed with the silver bangle around her wrist; a present from her masked boyfriend himself. He’d gifted it to her after she had been with the former team for a whole year.

Of course, it had been a couple of months before they started dating so he was shy and awkward but completely adorable; especially when she gave him a big hug and a kiss to the cheek, making him turn as red as a tomato. It was something Wally still enjoyed teasing him about.

She let her fingers drop from the piece of jewelry and sat, cross legged on the end of the first sofa, just beside Cyborg.

“What movie are you putting on first, Garfield?” Kory asked, smiling at his enthusiasm,

He grinned and turned to her, holding out a DVD cover, “Bloodbath Baby doll 2!”

Kory grimaced but nodded so not to discourage his cheerfulness. Horror was not something she took great joy in watching; she’d witnessed enough in real life to last a lifetime. But, Garfield and Jaime were big fans so she endured it for them.

“Oooh! Is that the new one!?” Cyborg chimed in, sitting forward suddenly,

“Dude! You know it! Came out 2 weeks ago!” Gar squealed, inserting it into the player and jumping in his seat between Raven and Jaime.

He grabbed the remote and loudly hushed them all. Raven turned the page of her novel and raised a brow, “You’re the only one talking.”

Gar blinked and turned to her, “Technically you are now too.”

She rolled her indigo eyes at him, “Ooh. You got me.”

He smirked and turned back to the screen as the red, dripping letters of the movie’s title appeared. The blankets were tugged across their laps on each couch, Kory snuggling into the arm rest of the sofa, leaning her face against the cushioning.

She was half asleep when there was a beeping that came from the panel at the main doors. Cyborg was halfway through a cold slice of pizza, his wide eyes on the scene unfolding on the TV when it went off. He flinched and shook his head, brushing his hands together and stood up,

Garfield, with the blanket pulled to his mouth, eyed Cyborg going to answer the alert.

“Don’t! It’s gonna be the baby doll!” He whispered,

“If it is, we’re sacrificing you first.” Damian mumbled, his face bored as he watched the movie,

Cyborg rolled his human eye and went down to answer. Kory yawned behind her hand and rested her chin on her palm, considering letting herself just fall asleep. She had to admit, battling an interdimensional demon was pretty exhausting.

She heard the brief sound of the main doors opening again and Cyborg’s voice,

“Well, look here. Got another visitor.” Cyborg announced, the grin in his tone,

“Hey, Titans.”

Kory’s green eyes snapped open and she swiveled towards the deep voice, her heart racing like it so often did with him.

There he stood, in his dark, sleek uniform; the blue bird sweeping across his chest. She glanced up into his smiling face, looking quietly smug and pleased with himself.

“Grayson. What are you doing here?” Damian asked, mildly interested,

“Thought I’d stop by and see how you were settling in.” He explained, eyeing Kory who still appeared a bit shell-shocked at his appearance.

“Gee... thanks.” Damian deadpanned, returning his attention to the horror playing on screen.

Dick stepped into the room a little more, crouching down on the other side of the arm rest that Kory was leaning against.

“Hey.” He murmured,

“Nightwing... but you said-”

“I know... I was actually on my way here when I called you...” He grinned sheepishly, “Surprise?”

Kory blinked before she beamed at him with a happy glow that could rival that of the sun’s. He peeled his mask off so she could see his eyes and she inwardly cursed that she couldn’t casually lean in to kiss him like she wanted to. He sensed this and kissed her cheek, Cyborg’s bulk blocking them from the others if they were even looking in their direction.

“Told you I missed you.” Dick whispered as he pulled away from her cheek,

“Dick...” She murmured, already feeling the soaring of her mood.

It was so good to see him; even if it was only for a short while that he would be stopping by before heading home, it was enough for her. She was just happy to get 5 minutes with him in person.

He winked at her and stood up straight again, wandering around the sofa. He raised a brow at Cyborg and shooed him, “Make room, Vic.”

The half robot snorted but bit his tongue on commenting, opting to shuffle down the sofa instead. Kory offered the blanket to him which he took, sat between her and Vic and placed it back down across their laps.

Kory straightened up, feeling wide awake now. She couldn’t help the tiny smile on her lips as Dick shifted in his seat, leaning his shoulder against hers, just so they had contact.

“Would you like a drink or pizza, Dick?” She asked, politely,

“I’m okay, thanks, Kory.” He returned, glancing at her again.

She nodded as he flashed a smile her way before they both turned their attention to the movie. A woman was sprinting away from the demon baby doll that was wielding a machete.

“God, baby doll is gonna get her!” Garfield fretted,

Raven pulled a face, “If she wasn’t stupid like all horror movie characters, she’d know to run... I don’t know, maybe not into an alleyway with no escape.”

Jaime chuckled and looked at the empath with approval, her comment one of pure truth.

Kory found herself taking interest in the cliché slasher scene and jumped when she felt Dick’s hand on her thigh beneath the blanket.

Her cheeks became warm and she eyed him cautiously, silently asking what he was doing. Dick smirked and shook his head, indicating he wasn’t planning on being naughty or anything; not with the team around them.

She smiled and slid her hands under the blanket as well, finding his one against her skin. She touched his hand and he turned it over, intertwining their fingers. Kory felt a swell of love in her heart; it was such an innocent gesture but one that meant so much.

Kory clasped their joint hands with her other one and gently leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. Dick smiled and relaxed, kissing her hair briefly whilst Cyborg once again unknowingly provided them cover in the darkened room.

They stayed that way whilst the rest of the movie played out and resumed the same position when Garfield decided to have a movie encore with ‘Massacre Season 4’.

“Why do they bother with sequels when it’s the exact same thing each movie?” Dick voiced, narrowing his eyes at the screen and wondering if he had already seen it but ultimately realized it was ‘Massacre Season 2’ that he had seen.

Kory smirked and breathed in his scent as he moved the pad of his thumb in circles against the back of her hand.

Gar glared over at the man, “They are not the same.”

“Oh-ho but they are.” Vic chimed in, staring pointedly at the DVD cases on the floor; the image was identical bar different actors on the fronts.

The changeling followed his gaze and opened his mouth to fight it but seemed to understand that he would be fighting a losing battle. He clamped his mouth shut and turned away, huffing and grumbling under his breath, leaving Dick and Vic to chuckle.

By the end of the movie, time had ticked away and it had gotten late, the moon high in the sky outside of the tower.

Damian yawned as the credits rolled before he got to his feet and stretched his arms above his head, “Thank god that’s over.” He paused, “I thought I’d die of the boredom.”

“What!? That was horror at its finest!” Gar protested, brushing the popcorn kernels off of his lap.

The boy wonder pulled a face, “That’s a shame.”

Gar threw his hands up as he stood, “You are all terrible critics!”

Jaime rolled his shoulders and smirked, “Because not all of us agree that it’s the scariest thing ever?”

“Well yeah!” He paused and glanced down at Raven who was marking the page she was up to, “Right, Rae? It was scary, wasn’t it?”

Her dark eyes met his and she sighed, “Oh yeah. Petrifying. I don’t know how I’ll sleep tonight.”

Garfield frowned and crossed his arms, “You guys are young; you don’t know what good horror is yet but don’t worry, you’ll learn.”

Dick rolled his eyes as he got up from the couch. He turned and smiled at Kory, offering her a hand to help her up. She smiled and accepted it, letting him pull her up to his chest, sharing a moment of closeness before she cleared her throat and stepped away.

“Ahem...”

Raising his eyebrows, Dick looked back to see Vic cheekily waggling his fingers at him, “Where’s my helping hand, hm?”

Dick smirked and shrugged, “Beats me.”

Cyborg laughed and hauled himself up, following suit as everyone else.

Kory bent down slightly and began collecting the pizza boxes and empty glasses from the coffee table, carrying them through to the kitchen. She wasn’t much of a fan of leaving the place in a mess after they indulged in movie nights. Otherwise, it would be left until morning when it still wouldn’t be cleared away and the cycle wouldn’t end.

“Do you need some help, Kory?” Raven offered, her voice quiet with fatigue,

The Princess smiled at the girl who she had come to love a bit like a younger sister, “That’s alright, Raven. I can manage. You get some sleep.”

Raven hesitated but nodded and smiled, turning away and heading down the hall to her room.

Garfield yawned loudly and waved to Kory, Dick and Cyborg, “Night pals.”

Jaime shook his head and followed after with Damian scowling at Gar’s volume level,

“Does he need to be so loud?” Damian asked,

“Need to be? No but he chooses to... as annoying as it is.” Jaime muttered, “Night guys!”

“Goodnight.” Damian called, barely looking over his shoulder.

Kory smiled as she watched them all filter through the doors to get some rest, “Goodnight, Titans...” She softly replied,

She quietly hummed to herself as she filled up the basin with hot water, intent on cleaning the glasses now before she lost the motivation to do so.

Dick sat on the arm rest of the sofa, his eyes in her direction, merely watching her move. Cyborg whistled from behind him as he pressed at buttons on the console of his arm,

“I should get going too. Early session with the league.” He sighed,

“Sounds fun.” Dick teased,

Vic shrugged, “Y’know, you’d fit in well with them.”

“And be under the watch of Batman again?” Dick scoffed, “Pass. I’ve done my time of that already, thanks.”

Cyborg chuckled, “The suggestion is always there.”

“Yo, Princess...” Cyborg grinned and wandered into the kitchen to give Kory a kiss on the cheek, “Time for me to go.”

From what Dick could see, she gave him a hug and he heard her faintly speak,

“It was lovely to see you, Victor and thank you for helping us with Trigon.”

Dick felt a slightly sharp bolt of jealousy; Vic had been there to help them but he wasn’t. Inwardly, he tried to reason with himself. The league were involved in this whole thing which means Vic inevitably would have been too.

Still, he wished he could have given the Titans some help. He wished he could have given Kory some help.

There was a brief burst of laughter before Cyborg came ambling out of the kitchen again, “Night, Kory.” He called, waving over his shoulder,

Setting the last digits on his console, Cyborg set up a boom tube, a glowing portal manifesting behind him.

“Dick, you need a boom back to Bludhaven?” Vic queried,

Absently, Dick’s eyes shifted back to the humming woman in the kitchen and rubbed his neck, “Uh... no, I’m good. Thanks though.”

Vic followed his gaze and smirked, “Uh huh... I bet you are. Wanting some time with your lady?”

Dick narrowed his eyes at his friend, “Might wanna catch that portal before it closes. Goodnight, Vic.”

Laughter erupted from the cybernetic man and he shook his head, “Night Dick.” He bid before stepping through the portal and having it close up behind him.

Dick exhaled, glad that the room was finally empty and quiet, meaning he was free to go and greet Kory how he had initially wanted to.

Standing up, he followed the serene sound of her humming until he stood in the doorway of the kitchen, leaning up against the door frame. He stood and watched her a moment before he couldn’t help himself any longer.

He crossed the space between them, using his stealth skills to creep up on her. His arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against his broad chest.

Kory gasped and stiffened for the briefest of moments before she relaxed and leaned back on him,

“Dick?” She murmured,

“I should hope so since I’m assuming you don’t let anyone else hold you like this.” He whispered, kissing a spot just below her jaw,

She tilted her head, “Well...”

“Don’t even.” He hushed, making her giggle,

“I thought you would be going home with Cyborg’s boom tube.”

“Thought about it for all of a second but... I was kinda hoping to stay the night... if you don’t mind.”

She stilled and dried her hands with the paper towels just beside the basin, filled to the brim with sudsy bubbles. Kory turned slowly and her jade eyes locked on his cerulean ones,

“Really?” She whispered, her eyes on his lips,

“Well, yeah. It��s a long trip back and I’m tired and... you always warm me up so quickly when we have sleepovers.”

She laughed and rested her forehead against his, “I would love for you to stay.”

“Good because I’ve been meaning to do something since I got here.”

“What-”

He cut her off by pressing his lips against hers, one hand on the small of her back whilst the other traveled up the path of her spine, into her mane of fiery red hair until he cupped her cheek, angling her face towards his a little more so he could deepen their kiss.

Kory gave into a breathy sigh and her hands moved from being pressed to his chest to up and around his shoulders, pulling him close enough so that her breasts were flushed against his chest,

The heat grew between them, their lips never leaving the other’s for even a second. Dick was the one to take it further, teasing her and swiping his tongue along her bottom lip, seeking permission to engage in more play.

She giggled and obliged him, opening her mouth enough for him to entice hers out for some fun. The hand still on her lower back delved even lower until it found her backside. He grinned into their kiss and gave her ass a playful squeeze.

Kory gasped and broke away from him, swatting his chest, “You are terrible.” She laughed,

“I’m just a man who has been missing his girl, is all. I need to catch up on kisses.” He told her,

“Mm, that is true. You need to catch up.”

“And I mean... here’s hoping to more than just kisses tonight.”

Kory raised an eyebrow at him, “Someone is presumptuous...”

Dick smirked, “You know as well as I do that we both really enjoy it, Kory.”

She rolled her eyes, “Again... true.”

He chuckled and brushed a loose lock of red hair behind her ear, “I’ve really missed you, babe.”

“I have missed you as well... it’s been weeks since we’ve properly been together, Dick.” She whispered,

“I know, I know... I’ll try to make more time to come and visit. I’ve been really crap lately-”

“Not at all... you are constantly trying, my love and that is enough for me.”

Dick brushed his nose against hers, “I love you so much...”

Kory leaned into his hold and his touch, “Mm and I love you.”

He sighed and smiled at her, “So, you about done here?” He paused and smirked, “I want to get a head start on the ‘more than kisses’.”

She blinked and laughed, “You are impatient.”

“You just said it’s been weeks and... you try having your hand on your thigh for almost 3 hours without moving it any higher.” Dick complained,

Kory shook her head, her luminous eyes making his breath hitch in his throat,

“Well... I think... I am just about done so...”

He pecked her lips and released her, grabbing her hand and tugging her towards the doors,

“Let’s get going then.”

Kory giggled, her heart full and fluttering like the wings of a butterfly; a feeling he never failed to make her feel, no matter where or when.